Today, while I munch on a plate of cheese, crackers, ham, summer sausage, and olives and sip a rather nice organic Sauvignon Blanc, I listen to Brahms’ String Quartet No. 3 as performed by the Tokyo String Quartet.
This is so meta.
What I’m snacking on seems to go with this music like cheese goes on hamburgers. It’s hoity-toity with a capital H and a capital T.
Maybe that’s why I like today’s musical offering so much better than I have previous musical offerings. I’m getting the full string quartet experience. Well, the only thing missing is a high-rise office building (say, the Nakatomi Plaza) and people wearing cocktail dresses and tuxes.
My Rating (String Quartet No. 3):
Recording quality: 5 (seems crystal clear to me with lots of dynamic range)
Overall musicianship: 5 (superb)
CD liner notes: 3 (11-page essay about the life of Brahms, little else)
How does this make me feel: 4 (the perfect piano quartet)
Piano Quartet No. 1 in G minor is another delightful piece of music, less boisterous than String Quartet No. 3. But delightful nevertheless.
A very cool piece of intel, according to the notes on the CD sleeve, is that violinist Isabelle Faust (1972- ) is playing a violin made by Antonio Stradivari, made in 1704. How freakin’ cool is that? (Proof? From Wiki: “Since 1996, she has performed on the “Sleeping Beauty” Stradivarius violin of 1704, on loan from Landesbank Baden-Wurttenmberg.”)
My Rating (Piano Quartet No. 1):
Recording quality: 4 (missing a bit of top end; noise reduction?)
Overall musicianship: 4 (superb)
CD liner notes: 3 (11-page essay about the life of Brahms, little else)
How does this make me feel: 3 (better than average; but mostly “meh”)
Between the two compositions, I prefer the first, the String Quartet. It’s worth noting that Brahms was 23-28 when he composed his Piano Quartet. He was much more mature (42) when he composed String Quartet No. 3. The maturity shows.