Search - Aulis Sallinen, Jean Sibelius Quartet :: String Quartets 1-5

Certainly an impressive pack of string quartets

Crt Sojar Voglar | Ljubljana, Slovenia | 04/18/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"There are 15 quartets from Shostakovich and 6 from Bartok. Mostly these two authors are the only remembered for 20th century string quartets. One should also notice the five quartets from a respected Finnish composer Aulis Sallinen.

His quartets range from an early expressionistic style, similar to Berg, like first and second quartet, while the third is a masterpiece. Based on a popular Finnish tune, the music is sometimes spiced with amusing glissandos to nearly folk-like simplified use of harmonic development. It is clearly the most popular Finnish string quartet.

The fourth quartet is also quite simple, but it uses more quiet and relaxed sonic world with meditation (as the title Quiet songs suggests). The fifth quartet slightly suffers from a mosaic like form, which does not convince the content of the work, just like Sallinen?s fifth symphony.

Nevertheless, Sallinen?s output of string quartets deserves a fine statue in the 20th century music history. The performances on this CD are very well tuned and sensibly performed."

Cold, emotional

Shigekazu ISHIHARA | Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima Japan | 04/09/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This masterpiece is somewhat a bridge between cold modern classic music and emotional expression (which often ignored in modern music).
I recommend this one to rock music fans, the people who loves to listen Mogwai, God Speed You Black Emperor! and Sigur Ros. You can find another form of sadness, darkness and hope."