Rubinstein String Quartets vol.1 - Op.47/1 & 3

[Alan Howe]

...forthcoming from cpo:
https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/cpo/detail/-/art/anton-rubinstein-streichquartette-vol-1/hnum/9254291

Featuring: String Quartets in E minor, Op.47 No.1 and D minor, Op.47 No.3.

Have these been recorded before?

[Mark Thomas]

There's an old recording from Etcetera of the first two quartets (Op.17 Nos.1&2) played by the Royal Copenhagen Quartet, but otherwise I don't think any of the other eight have been recorded.

[FBerwald]

Don't you mean. the other 8 quartets since there are a total of 10? Also from the cover image and tonality it seems these are op. 47 No. 1 & 3

[Mark Thomas]

Yes, eight, so I've corrected my post. Thanks.

[BerlinExpat]

Why eight when Grove lists ten:

Three String Quartets, op. 17 (1852/53)
No. 1 in G major
No. 2 in C minor
No. 3 in F major

Three String Quartets, op. 47 (1856)
No. 1 in E minor
No. 2 in B flat major
No. 3 in D minor

Two String Quartets, op. 90
No. 1 in G minor (1871)
No. 2 in E minor (1871, rev. 1892)

Two String Quartets, op. 106 (1880)
No. 1 in A flat major (1880)
No. 2 in F minor (1880, rev. 1892)

[Mark Thomas]

"Eight" because I'd already mentioned two of them, so ten in total.

[Alan Howe]

I've corrected the thread title: despite the blurb at jpc.de, the cover image makes it clear that the CD features Op.47, Nos.1 & 3.

[BerlinExpat]

Sorry, Mark! I wasn't thinking straight.

Why can't such series start at the beginning and progress chronologically?

[Mark Thomas]

You'd think, Colin.

[Gareth Vaughan]

Why can't such series start at the beginning and progress chronologically?

I've often thought that, and I am sure there are often good reasons (e.g. some scores are in manuscript and editions have to be produced, so the ones already published get done first, etc.) but I wish people would try to follow the advice of the King of Hearts to the White Rabbit in "Alice in Wonderland: "Begin at the beginning and go on until you come to the end then stop."

[Alan Howe]

I don't really care about the order - as long as the series is eventually completed. Should be 5 CDs...

[Gareth Vaughan]

as long as the series is eventually completed.

That's a given, of course, Alan. I really HATE unfinished series!!!

[britishcomposer]

Why can't such series start at the beginning and progress chronologically?

My idea: they took a look at all ten, considered op. 47 1 and 3 the most interesting and decided to start with them in order to attract highest possible attention of critics and buyers.
Otherwise buyers wouldn't probably bother to continue exploring the complete series. (Not necessarily so, but I have noticed a similar approach in the past with other projects.)

Another idea: they decided to postpone op. 17 till the end because some customers already have the earlier recording. The same approach could be witnessed with the Stanford quartets at SOMM.

Btw, I like op. 17.1 very much, haven't heard no. 2.

[matesic]

One factor in the neglect of these pieces could be the very negative views expressed in Cobbett's Cyclopedic Survey of Chamber Music, not just by the editor but by his Russian specialist Leonid Sabaneyev. The Op.17 quartets can both be heard on youtube and No.2 that I have playing at the moment is well written and attractively Mendelssohnian, quite passionate in places and by no means a waste of listening time. Obviously our tastes vary in the extent to which we value originality and surprise on the one hand, familiarity and comfort on the other, but my feeling on looking at the scores was that there is rather little there to interest most players. We have to wonder in whose interest it might be to devote significant time and resources to recording the whole cycle?

[Mark Thomas]

I do agree with your sentiment as regards much (but not all) of Rubinstein's catalogue, and yet the recordings keep coming. I've recently digitised my Rubinstein CDs and was amazed at how many I'd accumulated over the years, and how few get repeat hearings. However, he's clearly seen by record companies as a viable commercial proposition, so I guess cpo reckons there's every prospect of this series selling.