...forthcoming from MDG:
https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/streichquartett-5-7/hnum/10937037
It'll be the Fifth Quartet's recording premiere, but the third recording of No.7.
Aha! A Raff premiere! Mouthwatering...
Yes. It will be worth hearing. But I hope CPO will not be long in completing their cycle.
Whenever the cpo recording is released, it was recorded earlier (2019? 2020?) than this one, so "recording premiere" depends on definition. (There is meanwhile a more than serviceable rendition of the 5th quartet @ https://imslp.org/wiki/String_Quartet_No.5%2C_Op.138_(Raff%2C_Joachim) (https://imslp.org/wiki/String_Quartet_No.5%2C_Op.138_(Raff%2C_Joachim)), but I wouldn't disagree that the MDG and cpo recordings are likely to be better.)
'Premiere CD release', then. OK, Eric? ;)
Aw Eric, you are kind. I'm delighted to see the first movement of my hack-through has had all of 456 downloads in a decade. More than half of them listened to the other three movements as well! A few hundred more have found it on youtube, not put there by me but by a wicked algorithm.
By the way, IMSLP's "Play" button doesn't work for me any more but "Download" initiates streaming and it takes a couple more clicks to actually download the file. Does everyone have the same experience with audio files on IMSLP?
Steve, your rendition of the Fifth Quartet has stood me in good stead over quite a few years now - but I'm pleased that I can now allow it to enjoy a very well earned retirement :)
Mark, thanks for giving me the prompt way back then. My favourite of Raff's quartets that you directed me to is No.8, his ingenious "Suite in Canon Form", which has emerged on CPO and can be streamed by subscribers to the Naxos Music Library or IMSLP. The Mannheimer Streichquartett are absolutely the real deal.
Well, it's here! Never thought I'd see the day that I'd have all Raff's quartets on CD. (Truth be told, 25 years ago I never thought I'd see the day I'd have any of Raff's quartets on CD.) So now I'm getting used to #5, which makes a tip of the hat to classical models, just as 6 & 8 look back to the baroque.
Amazon keep putting back my delivery estimate - it's slipped three weeks to 22 July...
Same problem for me too, Presto tells me.
I pre-ordered mine on JPC some time ago, though clearly I did my share of waiting past the availability date, too.
You must have got an early copy. Jpc say that the CD was released on 3rd June (a likely story!), but that there's now a waiting time of 4 weeks for delivery (plus postage time from Germany, of course). Hmmm....
My delivery has slipped a further week until 29 July.
Presto are still quoting 22nd July, but it's the weekend...
...and now they're quoting 29th July too.
Further slippage: it's now 5th August.
Yes, me too from Amazon. You were very lucky, John.
Even further slippage: it's now 12th August.
Is that the sound of Christmas carols...?
It's now 19th August. >:(
Quote from: Alan Howe on Thursday 04 August 2022, 22:55It's now 19th August. >:(
If you'd like, I could put in a good word for you. Sometimes you have to "speak a little German" to people to get them moving.
... no it isn't? Er, seriously, maybe wait a few days first and see if it is out by the 12th after all...
I've asked Presto to make enquiries with the UK distributor.
Delivery estimate now slipped to 26 August.
Is this delay true of all new MD+G releases, or just the Raff?
Is the delay just for UK customers? Aren't I right in thinking that there's a serious long-term shortage of truck drivers and lots of deliveries are affected?
just think how pleased you'll be when it arrives. I suppose that is one advantage of downloads over physical media.
Well it would be if MDG did downloads. Otherwise, I agree.
I'm going to interrogate the UK distributor later today...
The CD is certainly not in the UK distributor's warehouse. More anon...
Apparently the person responsible for despatching CDs from MDG to the UK distributor has been unwell; there has also been a hold-up at the port in Germany from which the CDs are shipped to the UK.
I understand that the most likely release date will now be early September.
I can also report that CDs ordered from jpc in Germany are taking 2-3 weeks to arrive, compared with about 5 days a few months ago.
Good news! My copy's on its way from Presto!
It's just me then :(
How about cancelling your Amazon order and giving Presto a ring on 01926 886883 as they're saying they've got it in stock?
https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/9330015--joachim-raff-string-quartets-no-5-op-13-no-7-op-192-2
The reason I ordered from Amazon, which I wouldn't normally do, is that I had a gift card which was about to expire (and would have expired by now), so I used that to pay for the CD. I'll just hang on till next weekend...
Oh, I see. I'm sure another week or so won't matter, then.
I hope to be able to report on the CD, particularly on SQ5, in a day or two.
Excerpts now available at jpc:
https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/streichquartett-5-7/hnum/10937037
SQ5 is everything you might expect from Raff: wonderful craftsmanship, dynamism, melodiousness, rhythmic surprises. In short, this is magnificent string quartet writing which every ensemble worth their salt should be playing. Its neglect is an unfathomable mystery. You will be astonished at its mastery.
Just a minor quick thing - MDG's back cover lists the #5 quartet as "C major", while virtually everywhere else I look, I see G major. This is the sort of thing that is often readily noticed around here, and I did a quick search to see if it had been addressed....apologies if I missed it somewhere.
MDG have got it wrong throughout. Grrr - I hadn't spotted that. Good job the performance and recording are so good.
Definitely G major. My copy of the CD is waiting for me when I get home.
I've at last got my hands on this CD and must say that the Leipzig Quartet's performances of both works are first rate. For No.7, Die Schöne Müllerin, they have competition and there's little to choose between the three alternatives, any one of which would be a good choice. For me, the Mannheim Quartet on cpo give a rather more relaxed and cosy rendition than the Quartetto di Milano on Tudor, who lend it just a little more urgency, stopping some of the movements lapsing into salon territory. The Leipzigers give a very similar interpretation and benefit from a more open acoustic, making their new recording my first choice. This is the recording premiere of No.5, so all eight string quartets are now available in various combinations on CD. It's a sunny, angst-free work which gets a very persuasive performance here, the Leipzig Quartet really do seem to understand Raff's intentions, in the same way that Tra Nguyen's piano performances seem to inhabit the spirit of his works. This CD should be a must-buy for any Raff enthusiast.