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Site review by Polly Nomial March 5, 2006
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Performance: Sonics: |
This disc of three of the Op.18 quartets (1, 4 and 5). It opens with No.4, which commences with an almost Mahlerian pause on the opening tenuto, and sadly commences in a way that is too relentless in its drive and for me, over-accentuation. No.5 follows and is played with a sunnier manner but still the over emphasis of Beethoven’s accents break up the musical line on too many occasions to be ideal. The disc concludes with No.1 which receives the best performance, with only slightly too emphatic accents in the second movement spoiling an otherwise perfectly enjoyable performance. The recording is far too forwardly balanced for it to be enjoyable.
NB - in the box set Beethoven: The String Quartets - Prazak Quartet, it is now MCH! The ambient sound is nice but the balance is still very forward.
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Copyright © 2006 John Broggio and SA-CD.net
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Review by tfkaudio July 6, 2005 (4 of 4 found this review helpful)
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Performance: Sonics: |
| I read the two earlier reviews and I have to agree with Beagle. But, I would give the record a better rating for sonics. It is in-your-face, perhaps over-miked. This seems to be common with the Praga recordings. I have the Beethoven Op.74 and Op.95 disc, which is very similar. The Bartok Hungarian folk songs may be more over-miked than this recording, the Beethoven Op.18 quartets. They are, however, very dynamic and detailed. I still enjoy listening to them more than any of my redbook recordings of the same material.
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Review by Beagle January 29, 2005 (3 of 5 found this review helpful)
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Performance: Sonics: |
Russell Lowe Dec 31, 2003) calls this disc "Warm, flowing, fluent, relaxed ". Hmmm, I will have to go back and listen harder, because I hear it as in-your-face confrontational, over-miked. Why is this? Is listening so subjective, that comparing notes is nigh meaningless?
Tell me Russell, what do you think of the Praga/Kocian recording of Haydn op. 74? That is what my ears hear as "Warm, flowing, fluent, relaxed...". And while we're at it, what SACD do YOU hear as too aggressive?
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