Ernst Toch's string quartets

[Balapoel]

For those chamber music enthusiasts here, I highly recommend Toch's string quartet series, encompassing all of the surviving quartets. They are lyrical, profound, and continue in the late-Beethovenian manner. Great stuff, certainly better (to my ears) than Bartok's early quartets.

My favorite so far: String Quartet No. 6 in a minor, op. 12 (1905): very poignant.

4 volumes from CPO
http://www.amazon.com/Ernst-Toch-String-Quartets-Nos/dp/B000084T7K
http://www.amazon.com/String-Quartets-10-E-Toch/dp/B0000C16SE/
http://www.amazon.com/Ernst-Toch-String-Quartets-Nos/dp/B000063DLM
http://www.amazon.com/Ernst-Toch-String-Quartets-11/dp/B00005NY42

[Alan Howe]

Seconded!

[eschiss1]

Haven't heard all of them yet, and some of them in earlier recordings (LPs) iirc or on Laurel (and/or cpo), but seconded too.

[Mark Thomas]

I've not considered any of Toch's music before reading this thread. Having sampled the String Quartets and Symphonies online, I'm certain that later Toch is distinctly not my cup of tea, but the String Quartet No.6 is indeed an absolute beauty. Such gorgeous music from a 17 year old.

[Alan Howe]

You have to pick the early Toch - before his music became more modernistic.

[matesic]

I had to put my hand up when I heard a call to "chamber music enthusiasts", and never having heard a note of Toch's makes me a perfect guinea pig. Most of the quartets are on Youtube so my completely unbiased (?) report should follow soon. Pity the score of No.8 on imslp is still copyright-protected, after more than a century.

[Balapoel]

There are three distinct periods:
Quartets 6-8 (1905-1909) (and of course the lost 1-5)
Quartets 9-11 (1920-1924)
Quartets 12-13 (1946-1953)

The first group is quite beautiful and late romantic. The second group is transitional, tonal, but more astringent (and logical if you follow Toch's progression). The last group is definitely less tonal. I don't care too much for the last group, the second group has its moments, but the first group of quartets are wonderful.

[minacciosa]

When I was a child my father had a fair collection of 78's. He'd kept them well into the LP era. Among them was a recording of Toch's Piano Quintet. That was my introduction to Toch. My having young and unbiased ears, I embraced it fully, so much so that later when I heard the Spitzweg Serenade and String Quartet (in C#) I was absolutely shocked! I've played the Serenade several times over the years. If I had a string quartet we'd definitely be doing Toch. His cycle is uneven, but the mature works are excellent.

[eschiss1]

matesic- -all- his scores are copyrighted outside the US. It's a matter of his deathdate being less than 50 years ago!

Balapoel- maybe it actually -is- a matter of the serial method (or his inexperience with it, since I gather he does better with in the immediately following cycle of symphonies), but I must admit (reluctantly...) that I find the last quartet, Op.74, to be less impressive than no.12 Op.70, which is (especially in the Mendelssohn Quartet performance on Laurel- I'm not sure I've heard this work on cpo yet; I think I may only have 8/9 and 11/13 on that label...) - I'd say - expressive, humorously arch? (scherzo) and characterful as I anyway could wish, a less-tonal and more mature version of the already impressive Op.26 quartet (not exactly one of his earliest quartets anyway, I know) on the same disc (I think the disc is still available directly from Laurel- I hope, anyway- I obviously do recommend it . I find the performers play unreservedly as well as accurately, it's a memorable affair...)

(Alas, the quartet on BASS has nothing to do with composer Roderich Bass nor with having an ad lib. double bass part (à la Reger's early quartet). )

[matesic]

Great performances, although does it all have to be so LOUD? Whatever happened to the intimacy of chamber music? My ear was immediately tickled by his lyrical fluency but after hearing quartets 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12 and 13 (thank the Lord for a Youtube downloader) I feel a bit like I've been taken on the same journey 7 times, albeit by guides speaking with different accents. By the end of No.13 I found myself listening out for the 4-movement structure, the A-B-A scherzo, the "vigorous" finale opening, the constantly repeating 4-bar phrases (with inversion) etc etc. Only very rarely did he do anything which surprised me, and I think it was only in the slow movement of No.9 that I got the feeling of something happening behind the notes. Oh well, my loss, I know.

[eschiss1]

matesic- or a matter of difference of opinion or even perhaps better insight - or perhaps the Verdi and Buchbinder Quartets on cpo contribute less nuanced recordings than ideal (or than such little competition as exists, e.g. the aforementioned Laurel CD. I am assuming - mistakenly? - that you were listening primarily to the cpo CDs. I wonder if there are samplings online of the others - hrm, no sign of the Laurel (played by the Mendelssohn String Quartet) (for sale from Archiv Records or directly from Laurel here, and via but not at Amazon here.) Still, I see no place to hear samples to compare with the cpo (and allmusic.com doesn't list the CD, yet anyway (well, they do, but without details. I could see about adding those myself...). I do see that the Buchberger quartet - which does include the Dedication - takes a minute longer over it than the Mendelssohn Qt does (4 vs 3) and I guess somewhat to my surprise maybe a bit longer over Opp.26 and 70 too (the Mendelssohns take 24.5 min and 26.5 min. respectively.) ... hrm.

(There's a little more CD competition for the cpo set than I thought- op.70 as part of a several-CD set "The London String Quartet 1917-1951 recordings", and the early quartets Opp.12 and 15 on a disc recorded on the label Talent by the Braude Quartet.)