# Which SQ cycle to start with: Myaskovsky or Tanayev?



## Selby (Nov 17, 2012)

Which SQ cycle to start with: Myaskovsky or Tanayev?

I have intended to explore these cycles for a long time, I think now is the time. I fear my desire to explore the Latin/Hispanic SQ is not going where I hoped, so maybe it is the summer of the Russian SQ!

Which should I begin with and why? Recording suggestions? I prefer more recent releases.

thanks!


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## Alypius (Jan 23, 2013)

Mitchell,

I cannot speak to the quartets of Taneyev since I've done no more than heard clips from the cycle on Naxos. I recently got hold of the Myaskovsky cycle by the Taneyev Quartet (the group, not the composer -- I realize it's confusing) and have enjoyed it. One reason to perhaps prioritize the Myaskovsky is the Northern Flowers reissue is getting increasingly hard to find. It comes in 5 volumes and has not, to the best of my knowledge, been boxed up. I recommend going backwards. #13 is the most famous, but my favorites are #9, #10, #11 (on vol. 4).

















Another Russian for you is Mieczyslaw Weinberg (1919-1996), a younger contemporary and disciple of Shostakovich. He has 16, I believe. I posted on one of the string quartet thread that I read on CPO's website that the Quatuor Danel's six-volume performance of Weinberg's string quartets is being boxed up by CPO and will be available at the end of the month (Apr. 29th, according to Amazon).


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## violadude (May 2, 2011)

Tanayev quartets are really good. I highly recommend them.I haven't heard Myaskovsky's quartets. Tanayev's quartets are a little bit Brahmsian with some Russian flavoring if you're into that sort of thing.


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## Alypius (Jan 23, 2013)

I went back and listened to Myaskovsky's Quartets #9-11. Maybe I've been listening to too much Bartok and Shostakovich recently, but these do not have the same compositional sophistication nor the same complex range / interplay of emotions. They are more cantabile -- singing -- with a single line melody as opposed to the complex shiftings and dense cross-weave in Bartok and Shostakovich. I need to revisit others in the series. I don't want to steer you off-course, but have you heard Vagn Holmboe's string quartets? Those have been my other recent focus. And they are relatively new for me (I got them in early February). There is a great depth and richness there. I think a case could be made that Holmboe's quartets are, after Bartok's and Shostakovich's cyles, the best of the century --but there's lot of good competition, I realize, from others such as Villa-Lobos' (which I don't know) and Hindemith's (which I do). All the best on your wanderings. I need to go back and pick up some of those French and Spanish / Latin American composers you've already gotten.


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## violadude (May 2, 2011)

Alypius said:


> I think a case could be made that Holmboe's quartets are, after Bartok's and Shostakovich's cyles, the best of the century --but there's lot of good competition, I realize, from others such as Villa-Lobos' (which I don't know) and Hindemith's (which I do). All the best on your wanderings. I need to go back and pick up some of those French and Spanish / Latin American composers you've already gotten.


Don't forget Schoenberg, Berg, Norgard, Gubaidulina and Carter's quartets  (Although, some of these cycles bleed into the current century).


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## Selby (Nov 17, 2012)

Yep. I have the Holmboe cycle recently released (Kontra Quartet), and the Shoenberg, Bartok, Shosty, Hindemith, some of the Norgard, all of the Carter, most of the Villa-Lobos, etc, etc.

Gubaidulina, Weinberg, Taneyev, and Myaskovsky are now on my radar. I think I might start with Taneyev.


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## violadude (May 2, 2011)

Mitchell said:


> Yep. I have the Holmboe cycle recently released (Kontra Quartet), and the Shoenberg, Bartok, Shosty, Hindemith, some of the Norgard, all of the Carter, most of the Villa-Lobos, etc, etc.
> 
> Gubaidulina, Weinberg, Taneyev, and Myaskovsky are now on my radar. *I think I might start with Taneyev*.


Good choice 

.........................


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## jurianbai (Nov 23, 2008)

Both are my favorites string quartet cycle of all time. I can't really say which one to go first, my personal experience was I listen to Taneyev first. Maybe about a year in gap before I found Myaskovsky full cycle later. Which I think also reasonable order because Taneyev tends to be more standard Romantic (Brahmisian as Violadude refered...) and shorter cycle than Myaskovsky. Myavskovsky is more thick in his Russian melodic.

The other cycle that must heard is Vissarion Shebalin (not sure if there is still available copies..) by Krasni Quartet.

Then Gliere, Kabalevsky, Gretchaninov, Anton Rubinstein.
I found Wienberg, Gubaidulina is the later quartet with strong atonality in their composition.

Please enjoy the cycles and tell us about it.


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