# Fauré - String Quartet in E minor, Op 121 (SQ review)



## Merl (Jul 28, 2016)

OK, so a week of Faure and I still love this quartet. It's been great listening to so many different approaches and recordings and these are are the most impressive recordings (IMO) I've heard. I've also got a slight top pick for this SQ but the ones below are equally impressive in their own way.

Here's the Quatuor Ebene if you'd like to listen to this, before you sample. 






Excellent

*Ebene* - there's a reason so many people here flagged this one as an impressive recording. It's really well played and recorded. Superb and as close to the very summit as you can get. Their andante is just beautiful.
*Dante* - such a well-rounded approach that's also well-recorded. More forceful when needed whilst not losing the delicate beauty of this piece.
*Miami* - an excellent account which keeps to Fauré's dreamy soundscape. Ends beautifully with a great final movement.
*Guarneri (70s) *- more gutsy than the other recordings here but not negatively and the ensemble playing is simply superb.

But there has to be winner this time. It was close but the recording below shaded it for me.

Top pick

*Auryn*
Apart from the fact that the whole disc is superb (the Ravel and Debussy SQs are crackers too) what really impresses about this one is the way the Auryn keep your interest with great phrasing and superb playing. The cello sounds particularly impressive here and the whole performance weaves an ideal and always engaging path through this meandering masterpiece. It's Tacet so sound quality is, as always, stunning but it's not just that. The whole thing oozes class (with a capital C). One of my favourite SQ discs of recent years.


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