The Talich Quartet, augmented by guest violist Jiri Najnar and cellist Vaclav Bernásek, present two sextets that make an interesting program because of their dramatically different styles. Arnold Schoenberg's darkly passionate and intensely chromatic Verklärte Nacht was originally composed for string sextet, and while it has been performed frequently in the lush arrangement for string orchestra, this comparatively lean version is increasingly being recorded by chamber ensembles. The cheerful Sextet in A major by Antonín ...
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The Talich Quartet, augmented by guest violist Jiri Najnar and cellist Vaclav Bernásek, present two sextets that make an interesting program because of their dramatically different styles. Arnold Schoenberg's darkly passionate and intensely chromatic Verklärte Nacht was originally composed for string sextet, and while it has been performed frequently in the lush arrangement for string orchestra, this comparatively lean version is increasingly being recorded by chamber ensembles. The cheerful Sextet in A major by Antonín Dvorák is buoyant and animated, in marked contrast to the brooding expressionism of Verklärte Nacht, and though the instrumentation is the same in both works, Dvorák's counterpoint is much brighter and more transparent than the dense and murky textures in Schoenberg's work. Recorded in 1989, these performances are closely miked, so the sound of the string instruments is direct and natural, with a resinous edge and a cutting quality that is bracing at times. ~ Blair Sanderson, Rovi
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