Haydn, Brahms, Szymanowski, Shchedrin (2010)

Founded in 2006, by 2008 the Apollon Musagète Quartett burst onto the international chamber music scene following a series of wins at the ARD Music Competition in Munich. Their debut album on the Oehms Classics label features, as do many premiere CDs, a broad range of repertoire presumably seeking to display the scope of their talents and interpretive abilities. The group opens with a crisp, exacting performance of Haydn's Op. 71/2 Quartet in D major. From the first phrase, listeners will notice the precise technical ... Read More

Founded in 2006, by 2008 the Apollon Musagète Quartett burst onto the international chamber music scene following a series of wins at the ARD Music Competition in Munich. Their debut album on the Oehms Classics label features, as do many premiere CDs, a broad range of repertoire presumably seeking to display the scope of their talents and interpretive abilities. The group opens with a crisp, exacting performance of Haydn's Op. 71/2 Quartet in D major. From the first phrase, listeners will notice the precise technical playing, polished intonation, and careful, crisp articulation. Following the Haydn comes Brahms' Op. 51/2 Quartet in A minor. The first three movements of this piece are surprisingly reserved, particularly in the almost dreary tempo chosen for the first movement. Apollon Musagète chooses a more classical approach to sound, which is an interesting choice, but may leave some listeners looking for a more meaty, Brahmsian sound. By the fourth movement, that is precisely what they are given... Read Less