Quartetto Italiano

The twentieth century saw many, many fine string quartets. Particularly those centred on, or originating from, Central Europe. Two of my favourite quartets are the Busch Quartet (around the 1930s) and the Quartetto Italiano (around the 1970s). The Busch especially for Beethoven; the Italiano especially for Mozart and Schubert. At the moment I have a “Quartetto Italiano Season”; the quartet recorded all the Mozart string quartets, even those he wrote when he was three years old, or whatever. At the moment I am listening to the six “Haydn” quartets of Mozart where the Italiano's smooth, warm, sophisticated sound suits the music like a glove. A long way from the astringent “period performance” crowd, thank heavens. Next up on my listening list will be the last four quartets of Schubert; the Italiano's performance of D.887 in G major has fascinated me for over forty years now and I was happy to replace my original LP with a CD transfer. Following Schubert, I'll go on to the Italiano playing the late Beethoven quartets, and then on to the Debussy and Ravel quartets. It's addictive sound and playing.

Shostakovich's 24 Preludes & Fugues

I love Preludes & Fugues. Very few composers wrote them, the most famous of all being Johann Sebastian as part of his Das wohltemperierte Klavier. I have been listening to 24 preludes & fugues written by another composer: Dmitri Shostakovich. They were inspired by Tatiana Nikolayeva, who also recorded them. Few pianists do, and I cannot understand why since they are fascinating works in their own right, and highly memorable. I listened to them this week in a recording by Alexander Melnikov, and this is really first-rate. Melnikov romanticises the works, and Rachmaninov often springs to mind. Quite why I love preludes & fugues I do not understand: maybe a psychologist could shed some light. Meanwhile: back to the 24 and the 48!