Summer With The Juilliard String Quartet

[Peter Friedman]

Just read through this entire thread this morning. Much of this thread has been quite interesting to me.  

My main classical focus is on String Quartets (and some String Quintets) playing the music of Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Mozart, Schubert, Brahms. Mendelssohn, Dvorak and others from the classical and romantic periods.

While I have been enjoying a number of recordings by the Juilliard Quartet, there are 5 or 6 other string quartets who I tend to prefer.

[JSngry]

There certainly are a lot of choices, even more as time goes by!

Have you tried Dover Quartet? We've seen them in person twice and they convinced me!

They've recently released a Beethoven cycle that I have on tap for when I finish the Juilliard project.

[Mark Stryker]

On 6/24/2025 at 12:58 AM, JSngry said:

Per Wiki:

The Second String Quartet by American composer Elliott Carter was completed in 1959. This composition for string quartet was commissioned by the Stanley String Quartet of the University of Michigan, who decided not to play it upon seeing the score, and received its first performance in 1960 by the Juilliard String Quartet.

That's wild. Hey dude - write us a quartet. Here's the money.

You got the score, right? Cool, let's see what we got here...

Uhhhhh....never mind...

John Garvey, the legendary jazz band conductor at the University of Illinois from the late '50s until the early '90s, played viola in the Walden String Quartet, which was in residence at U of I. When Carter wrote his first quartet in 1950, he sent the score to a gaggle of of string quartets -- I think it might have literally been dozens but I can't recall -- and the Walden was the only one that agreed to play it. The gave the premiere in 1953 and then made the landmark first recording for Columbia Masterworks in 1955. John once told me that it was the first string quartet you couldn't sight read and tell if it was any good. You actually had to learn itbefore deciding whether it was a good (successful) piece or not.

Glad you like the JSQ's performances of those Haydn quartets ... 

[JSngry]

2 minutes ago, Mark Stryker said:

John Garvey, the legendary jazz band conductor at the University of Illinois from the late '50s until the early '90s, played viola in the Walden String Quartet, which was in residence at U of I. When Carter wrote his first quartet in 1950, he sent the score to a gaggle of of string quartets -- I think it might have literally been dozens but I can't recall -- and the Walden was the only one that agreed to play it. The gave the premiere in 1953 and then made the landmark first recording for Columbia Masterworks in 1955. John once told me that it was the first string quartet you couldn't sight read and tell if it was any good. You actually had to learn itbefore deciding whether it was a good (successful) piece or not.

Glad you like the JSQ's performances of those Haydn quartets ... 

As discussed, there are still shockingly few Carter cycles on record (the first 4 or all 5). I don't find them particularly "difficult" to listen to...except for when I listen as a player...

No matter, wonderful music. Hopefully there will be new, young quartets in the 21st Century who will pick them up and fill the gap.

[JSngry]

5 hours ago, Mark Stryker said:

John Garvey, the legendary jazz band conductor at the University of Illinois from the late '50s until the early '90s, played viola in the Walden String Quartet, which was in residence at U of I. When Carter wrote his first quartet in 1950, he sent the score to a gaggle of of string quartets -- I think it might have literally been dozens but I can't recall -- and the Walden was the only one that agreed to play it. The gave the premiere in 1953 and then made the landmark first recording for Columbia Masterworks in 1955. 

And this performance has yet to be reissued in any form on any label?

Unbelievable...

[JSngry]

Perhaps not the most sympathetic of interpretations? These works both sound like they need a hug (esp. #13) and none are forthcoming. 

[JSngry]

16 hours ago, JSngry said:

And this performance has yet to be reissued in any form on any label?

Unbelievable...

And of course, the Internet Archive has it:

https://BarKchive.org/details/lp_string-quartet_elliott-carter-the-walden-string-quartet

[JSngry]

No hugs needed. No hugs asked. No hugs given.

No hugs needed.

Not sure what I was expecting, but it wasn't this! My experience with Haydn has almost always been that for whatever reason, there's just too much time between then and now for there to be any real "now" in the interpretation. It just gets too "respectful" in the end.

Not so here. Some of these movements are...bracing. Like, Presto means PRESTO, not just tempo, but energy as well. These guys refuse to let anything drift off or away, in any way.

A fine way to end this set of "popular" composers on a Columbia subsidiary label by a world class band at the top of their game.

But Summer With The Juilliard String Quartet is not over yet. More to come!

[JSngry]

Interestingly, the JSQ continued to "record for" Epic all the way through 1966, while simultaneously recording for Columbia (again). Same company, but still, I wonder if the Epic deal was for recording more "popular composed.

For Columbia, in 1963, the recorded their epochal Bartok cycle. In spite of the fact that it's somewhat "legendary", it has yet to receive a CD release in America. However...French Sony Classical put this out in 2002:

https://www.discogs.com/sell/release/2422878

I monitored this item and one American seller popped up with a quite affordable set. So it does exist, and I did Carpe Diem all over it:

Could probably benefit from a modern remastering, and its a drag that #4 is split between two discs.

But these are THE 1963 performances, it IS on legit CD, and you CAN make it into 3 CDs of your own making AND have them all in sequence.

So overall, life is good, and Summer With The Juilliard String Quartet continues!

[JSngry]

I just ripped that French 2-CD set and combined everything into one folder. Much to my delight, the six quartets can then be burnt into thee discs of two quartets each, in order, and each of a respectable or better duration:

1-2 = 59:05

3-4 = 37:55

5-6 = 60:27

Has Testament or somebody like them issued these? Even if they have, CBS Sony really has a gap here, imo.

Pretty remarkable performances.

[ejp626]

On 7/17/2025 at 3:04 PM, JSngry said:

Interestingly, the JSQ continued to "record for" Epic all the way through 1966, while simultaneously recording for Columbia (again). Same company, but still, I wonder if the Epic deal was for recording more "popular composed.

For Columbia, in 1963, the recorded their epochal Bartok cycle. In spite of the fact that it's somewhat "legendary", it has yet to receive a CD release in America.

 

But these are THE 1963 performances, it IS on legit CD, and you CAN make it into 3 CDs of your own making AND have them all in sequence.

So overall, life is good, and Summer With The Juilliard String Quartet continues!

It does appear these performances are on Apple music/iTunes.  How "legit" is a bit hard to say, but I'm certainly willing to listen and decide if it does merit chasing down the CDs.  I am gradually moving away from buying physical media, as the house is just too damn cluttered, but there are always exceptions to be made...

[JSngry]

I don't do Apple, but if they're offering lossless files, I would take take that deal!

Waiting for the French Sony CDs to come at an affordable price might take a while, and waiting for Sony Classical is...how long are you planning on living? 

But this set of music...I have other sets, and it's one of those things where there are differences, but there is not "better".