# Please recommend a string quartet along the lines of...



## Castleman (May 2, 2011)

Please recommend a string quartet along the lines of...

Debussy String Quartet in G
Ravel String String Quartet in F minor
Shostakovich String Quartet #8

See the particular mood and feel here?

Possibly the Bartok quartets...

What's next?


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## Aramis (Mar 1, 2009)

Szymanowski's two quartets, #1 especially


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## Castleman (May 2, 2011)

Thanks Aramis. 
Those are in the right vein. 
Sorry to say that I'm not sure if I ever heard Szymanowski's music before.

Cheers


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## Ukko (Jun 4, 2010)

Bartók's 2nd may be of use; there are hints of Debussy there. Quincy Porter's quartets have their Ravelian moments; don't know where you can hear them.


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## Guest (Dec 30, 2013)

If you can handle a bit more dissonance than Shostakovich, then try Schnittke or Auerbach. I think the the latter has only one recording, and it's paired with Shostakovich's 8th:










Its first movement:






Here's a movement from Schnittke's 3rd Quartet:


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## EdwardBast (Nov 25, 2013)

Janacek's Quartets might be of interest.


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## Alydon (May 16, 2012)

You may enjoy Benjamin Britten's 3rd quartet and certainly as mentioned the Bartok works are particularly challenging.


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## Castleman (May 2, 2011)

Thanks everyone for your input. 
I'll definitely check these recommendations out!


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

Castleman said:


> Please recommend a string quartet along the lines of...
> 
> Debussy String Quartet in G
> Ravel String String Quartet in F minor
> ...


Milhaud 7th quartet, Fauré op 121 quartet, Reger op 109, Reger op 121, Bartok 3, Berg's Lyric Suite


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## Itullian (Aug 27, 2011)

Borodin's is very nice.


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## Sid James (Feb 7, 2009)

Castleman said:


> Please recommend a string quartet along the lines of...
> 
> ...
> *Shostakovich* String Quartet #8
> ...


Regarding Shostakovich, he was influenced by *Berg,* so maybe go to his _String Quartet, Op. 3 _ (it is on youtube). Skipping ahead, *Bernard Herrmann* was influenced by composers like Berg. Try Herrmann's _Echoes for string quartet_ (can't find it on yt, but its on this Naxos album,_ Four American Quartets_, played by Fine Arts Quartet).

Both Berg and Herrmann's works have that thematic tightness, taking a number of ideas through the whole work, and also retaining a sense of Romantic or emotional aesthetic. Quite dark and angsty vibe there as well.

A follow up might be *Walton's* _String Quartet in A minor. _Again, on the border between Romantic and atonal (Walton used serial elements in this, but very flexibly). Just this dark, brooding quality and also that bittersweetness and edginess that's his trademark. This one's on yt as well, by the looks of it.

A further follow up might be Berg's _Lyric Suite_ for string quartet (that Mandryka mentions above), although I find that quite different (harder to follow 'themes' running through it, more fragmented) to his earlier Op. 3.


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## TurnaboutVox (Sep 22, 2013)

Though I concur with many of the suggestions made in above posts, you might also like to consider listening to Frank Bridge's 2nd string quartet, which is similar in idiom to Debussy's quartet, his 3rd and especially his 4th which are more alike to Bartok.

The Maggini Quartet on Naxos have done well-regarded accounts, available at budget price.


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## Castleman (May 2, 2011)

Thanks again to everyone for their generous and detailed recommendations!
(Right now listening to some  )


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## violadude (May 2, 2011)

Ukko said:


> Bartók's 2nd may be of use; there are hints of Debussy there. Quincy Porter's quartets have their Ravelian moments; don't know where you can hear them.


Great to hear a shout out for Quincy Porter's quartets here. I listened to them extensively a couple years ago and liked them quite a bit. Always feel lonely because no one else has heard them (or talk about them at least).


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## violadude (May 2, 2011)

As per the request of the OP, here are some that match the flavor you are requesting:

Schoenberg's 2nd string quartet
Hindemith's 4th string quartet (and possibly 3rd or 5th)
Korngold's string quartets (any of them)


Also, since you haven't heard any Szymanowski I would recommend listening to some of his other works, 4 symphonies, 2 violin concertos and various piano works in particular.


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## Quartetfore (May 19, 2010)

Along the lines of the Ravel quartet, you might like Quartets by Bonnal(#1) Ropartz, and the very beautiful first Quartet of Koechlin.


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## EDaddy (Nov 16, 2013)

Heck, what about Beethoven's late quartets? He's the one who started the whole racket!


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## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

Upping the number of players by a couple, I'd earnestly recommend Schoenberg's string sextet ~ Verklärte Nacht









Charles Koechlin ~ String Quartets No. 1 & 2









Terry Riley ~ Requiem for Adam (here, part 1)





Bohislav Martinu ~ String Quartets (here, opening movement of No. 7)





Leos Janacek ~ String Quartet(s) Nos. 1 & 2


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## Cadenza (Sep 24, 2012)

In my current quest for string chamber music, I've come across not much more than snippets of Smetana, Janacek, and Martinu pieces that I will excitedly follow- up this coming week. The music of the Czech masters might meet your needs....


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