Search - Kocian Quartet :: Hindemith: String quartets Nos. 1-7

Great performances

Jeremiah Lawson | Seattle, WA United States | 05/04/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Compared to the Amar-Hindemith quartet playing Op.22 all other performances pall. On the other hand, this quartet's performance of Op.22 is the second best recording I've heard so far, which is good if the competition is Hindemith's own performance. My only quibble is that they take the middle movement a bit slow (but everyone else takes it a bit slow, too).



The best works are the Op. 22 and 32 quartets and his last quartet, which he wrote to play with his wife on cello. Some of the novelty works and the transitional quartets don't grab me (the third and first quartets mainly) but at his best Hindemith's quartets are equal to Bartok and Shostakovich for emotional power and stunning chops.



This CD set is actually back in print but reissued with different cover art and at a slightly lower price. Snap this one up if you see it."