Adolf Busch string quartets

[John Boyer]

New from CPO:

https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/cpo/detail/-/art/adolf-busch-streichquartett-op-57/hnum/8992778

And a flute quintet, too. 

[eschiss1]

Released in April, and all of them dating from well past 1915 (from Chandos, the string quartet is from 1942 (pub.1944), the pieces for quartet are from 1931, revised 1936, not published until 2005, and the flute quintet is from 1950, not published at all apparently.) I admit I'm interested, based on his other music. This recording of his string quartet can be heard on YouTube.

[John Boyer]

Released in April...

Curious.  The JPC site says it was released November 10:

"Erscheinungstermin: 10.11.2022"

[eschiss1]

I know. Records International had it listed in April, though. Maybe it was available in the US earlier, despite being a cpo product? Curious.

[britishcomposer]

I know. Records International had it listed in April, though. Maybe it was available in the US earlier, despite being a cpo product? Curious.

That's quite possible: it has been aired by Classical 90.5 Arizona radio in August I think.

[John Boyer]

In the quieter sections (shhhhhh) you'll notice each phrase is separated by an audible gasp for air (shhhhh).  I simply don't remember this in recordings made before the late 90's (shhhh).  It's as if around the world string players were taught according to a new model (shhhh): hold your breath for the duration of a phrase (shhhh), as if playing the oboe (shhhh), then gasp for air (shhhh).

[semloh]

Interesting, John. I wonder if the incredible sensitivity of contemporary recording and playback processes is partly to blame. Years ago you could occasionally hear, on an LP, traffic passing outside the recording venue, but today I reckon you could hear a soloist's heartbeat in quiet passages.
Anyway,apologies for diverting - back to the Busch!

[Double-A]

I have heard a violinist in concert who kept breathing audibly--in fact more than audibly, very disturbing in slow movements (the concertmaster of the "Zürcher Kammerorchester"--if I remember correctly; it is a long time ago now--yet I still remember!).  It does not have to be the technology.

[John Boyer]

I have heard a violinist in concert who kept breathing audibly--in fact more than audibly...  It does not have to be the technology.

Agreed. I have heard it in concert, too. And I have some very detailed recordings from the late 50s and early 60s where you can hear accidental collisions with music stands, or the humming of Rudolf Serkin and Glenn Gould, so it's not new technology, just a new fad.

Luckily, in the present Busch recording it is not too bad. The album begins with some very exposed passages, so one notices it at once, but as the album progresses you kind of forget about it because it gets immersed in the wash of  sound.