# The Earliest Recordings of the "Quartet Italiano"



## otterhouse (Sep 6, 2007)

Here is some metadata (recording date, locations) to the spotify list of the earliest recordings of the Italian quartet, the Quartetto Italiano. It starts the "the reason" the quartet formed itself, to perform the Claude Debussy quartet. They recorded it for Telefunken in 1946, with Linonello Fonzanti on viola. He was replaced by Piero Faruli in 1947.

Just sample track 07, the slow movement of the D major Boccherini quartet, recorded in 1948. So beautiful...!

http://classicalspotify.blogspot.nl/2017/03/quartetto-italiano-early-recordings.html


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

otterhouse said:


> Here is some metadata (recording date, locations) to the spotify list of the earliest recordings of the Italian quartet, the Quartetto Italiano. It starts the "the reason" the quartet formed itself, to perform the Claude Debussy quartet. They recorded it for Telefunken in 1946, with Linonello Fonzanti on viola. He was replaced by Piero Faruli in 1947.
> 
> Just sample track 07, the slow movement of the D major Boccherini quartet, recorded in 1948. So beautiful...!
> 
> http://classicalspotify.blogspot.nl/2017/03/quartetto-italiano-early-recordings.html


I am a big fan but alas no spotify.


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## Quartetfore (May 19, 2010)

Their Debussy and Ravel Quartet recordings are thought to be some of the best ever recorded. As I posted, their complete Beethoven set is my favorite among those that I own. That is not to say that all of the beethovens are the best of each work, but over all I find the set very enjoyable.


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## MarkW (Feb 16, 2015)

I have always especially enjoyed their Beethoven B-flat (opp. 130/133) recording from the late '60s.


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## TurnaboutVox (Sep 22, 2013)

Their Schumann quartets are tremendous - I haven't heard another really convincing recording. Their Brahms, Borodin, Dvorak #12, Haydn, Debussy, Ravel and Beethoven and Schubert's last four quartets are all extremely accomplished.

But my favourite of all is their (unexpected) complete Webern which was so persuasive when I first heard it, back in 1982.


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## Quartetfore (May 19, 2010)

A old friend who passed away a number of years ago, once told me that he had attended their first concert in New York in the 1950`s. He was not sure, but in might have their first in America. What he did remember was that he was very impressed by their performance, and of all things they all had on heavy looking blue suits. Since he knew his Chamber Music I went along with his opinion concerning their playing, but not their clothing.
By the way my Beethoven set was recorded 1967-78, while the sound is not as good as more modern recordings it is still quite good.




what


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