Brahms: String Quartet No. 2 & Bartók: String Quartet No. 1
Ariel Quartet
Fierce, fiery Bartók that engages from the start and Brahms that has real shape and drive, although I could have done with more yearning passion.
Brahms: String Quartet No. 2 & Bartók: String Quartet No. 1
Ariel Quartet
Purchase product
Fierce, fiery Bartók that engages from the start and Brahms that has real shape and drive, although I could have done with more yearning passion.
About
The Ariel Quartet, distinguished by their virtuosic playing and impassioned interpretations, makes their debut recording pairing two giants of the string-quartet world, Bela Bartok and Johannes Brahms.
Both composers stand as significant pillars of the youthful Quartet's two-decade-long journey. The Ariel Quartet earned its glowing international reputation early on, having formed in Israel when its members were students in middle school. The Ariel now serves as the Faculty Quartet-in-Residence at the University of Cincinnati's College-Conservatory of Music Debut. This release is the first in a projected series pairing the quartets of Bartok and Brahms.
Critical Acclaim
"a consummate ensemble gifted with utter musicality and remarkable interpretive power" - American Record Guide
"a blazing, larger-than-life performance" - The Washington Post
Contents and tracklist
Awards and reviews
June 2018
Fierce, fiery Bartók that engages from the start and Brahms that has real shape and drive, although I could have done with more yearning passion.
June 2018
The Ariel can enchant, as they do in the Quasi minuetto movement of the Brahms, with its nostalgic, Old World melancholy. And their confident unanimity allows them to convey ferocity without ever seeming to break a sweat – listen, say, to how neatly and nimbly they spring through the Bartok’s final pages. I’m not convinced such sleek virtuosity is what this music demands, mind you.
