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| Gyoergy Ligeti Edition 1: String Quartets and Duets - Arditti String Quartet | 
 enlarge | Artists: Gyorgy Ligeti, David Alberman, Irvine Arditti, Garth Knox, Rohan Desaram, Arditti String Quartet
Label: Sony
Category: Music
List Price: $11.98
Buy New: $6.97
You Save: $5.01 (42%)
Buy New/Used from $5.99
Avg. Customer Rating:  (16 reviews)
Sales Rank: 26030
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 5 x 0.5
MPN: 62306
UPC: 074646230626
EAN: 0074646230626
ASIN: B0000029OY
Release Date: January 21, 1997
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
you must listen to Ligeti. March 6, 2004
4 out of 6 found this review helpful
Listening to Ligeti has been invaluable, for his music has brought me to a higher level of musical understanding. Just listen to these string quartets, for example. The aggressive, chromatic Bartokian first string quartet is incredible by itself. But then the ever-transforming second quartet is ever better, musically enlightening and original and yet still a work of passion. Ligeti describes the piece's nature as something where "there is no longer any motivic writing in this music, no contours, only sound textures, which are sometimes frayed and almost fluid (as in the first and last movements) and at other times grainy and machine-like (as in the middle pizzicato movement)." The performances and recording are mind-blowing. "Add to cart."
The best recording of Ligeti's quartets November 27, 2003
7 out of 8 found this review helpful
This, the first in Sony's apparently soon-to-be-deleted Ligeti Edition, features the excellent Arditti Quartet in Ligeti's two string quartets and three minor, shorter pieces. While the short pieces are not very interesting, the two string quartets are outstanding works that every lover of 20th century music should know.The first quartet was written in 1953 and 1954 for Ligeti's 'desk drawer', as under the perverse Communist regime in Hungary this music would have been totally unacceptable. It's very Bartokian writing--specifically influenced by the third and fourth quartets, works also banned in Hungary at that time--and arguably comes as close to a seventh Bartok quartet as anything. Written in a single, episodic movement, and drawing most of the material from a small group of melodic and rhythmic cells (this transformation being the 'Metamorphoses nocturnes' of the title), this work demonstrates a remarkable level of skill and judgement for a young composer. Only the sixth track on this disc, a somewhat kitschy waltz section, falls below the calibre of the rest of the quartet. It is a transitional work--one can tell this in particular by the way that the overtly Bartokian feel of the earlier stages becomes almost pure Ligeti by the work's close--but one that most composers would have been very happy to equal. Even finer is the second quartet. This is a much more modernist piece, dating from the late 1960s, and in five movements rather than one. The first movement contrasts slow-moving floating micropolyphony with more active, aggressive outbursts; it is succeeded by a slow, bleak second movement and a vigorous, mechanical third, before the whole material of the quartet so far is compressed into a powerfully ominous fourth movement. After this, the finale releases the tension thus built up in a cloud of floating tones that gradually spread out over many octaves. The fill-ups are less interesting. Hommage a Hilding Rosenberg is a brief birthday greeting for violin and cello, written in 1982 when the composer was starting to come out of his post-Grand Macabre composer's block, while the other two works are from 1950: Ballade and Dance is a folksy diptych for two violins later subsumed into the Romanian Concerto, while the Andante and Allegretto is nothing more than half of a student string quartet (the other half was never written). Sadly, it seems unlikely that Ligeti's promised third quartet--commissioned long ago by the Ardittis but never written--will appear (Ligeti, never a prolific composer, is now 80 and in poor health), but these recordings do put the very best light on two major compositions for string quartet. The most obvious rival, a DG collection with the Hagen in the first quartet and the LaSalle in the second, is good but not quite on the same level as this disc, even if it does have a more interesting coupling (the string ensemble piece Ramifications, the early cello sonata and David Atherton's outstanding reading of the chamber orchestra Melodien). Hence this recording--at least until its apparently imminent deletion from the catalogue--can be considered a definite first choice.
A Great CD of Modern Music October 29, 2003
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
I discovered Ligeti's music not from the film score of "2001: A Space Odyssey" as many of my contemporaries have, but by browsing the 20th Century record bins and coming across his Wergo release of "Lantano" and his "Requiem" (now, of course, on rather expensive import CD). I took a chance. I'm glad I did. Eventually, these two pieces became my favorite two pieces of music regardless of genre. I then came to realize that his was the music used in the movie. I've since amassed a fairly large collection of his music. I've listened to the Deutsche Grammophon analog recording of String Quartet No. 2 for years. With this newer digitally recorded CD, expertly played by the Arditti Quartet, so many things come to light that have been previously obscured. It's difficult to find something to add to the reviews that appear below. It is just that if you are a fan of Ligeti's music, you will surely take pleasure in this CD. My favorite piece on the CD is, of course, String Quartet No. 2, but it might just be its familiarity that makes it more enjoyable. One of the things I like most about Ligeti's music is his originality. He doesn't seem to fit into any genre that I'm familiar with. Yes, I'm sure there are others that are adept at writing microtonal compositions. But his consistency is incredible, and this CD helps prove that.
Superb Example of Modern Classical Repertoire June 30, 2003
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
What can I say. These pieces by Gyorgy Ligeti are superb. The Arditti Quartet do an amazing job of bringing these pieces across in an intelligible way. Some people find modern classical music confusing or difficult as it doesn't follow the traditional rules of rhyme and rythmn however the Arditti do an amazing job of fleshing out all of the emotion. After they are done you know you have listened to an exceptional piece of music. The playing is at times stunning.I recommend starting with the "andante and allegretto", which represent his early work, first, and then moving to String Quartet No. 1 and then No.2. This will help condition your ear (and brain) and gives you a nice sense of the evolution in Ligeti's work. It also leads your mind into the more difficult string quartets easily and gently. Very highly recommended and a must have for fans of modern repertoire or beginners looking for a way to expand their understanding of what music can be.
best string quartets May 8, 2003
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I have had the first string quartet for some time now and love it. So i order this cd, because you get the 2 string quartets and some other lovely pieces too. This cd is so beautiful to listen to the quartets are not overly long and just the playing by arditti quartet is brilliant. Im starting to buy more Ligeti. I would put this quartets up with Carter,Berg,Webern,Ives just to name a few
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