Utrecht String Quartet - Glazunov - Vol.2: Strings Quartets No. 2 & 4 (2005)

These could be terrible recordings of Glazunov's Second and Fourth String Quartets and his Elegy for Strings and they would be terrific recordings of Glazunov's Second and Fourth Quartets and his Elegy for Strings for two reasons. First, there are so few recordings of Glazunov's extremely charming string quartets that pretty much any recording would be terrific; and second, pretty much any performance of Glazunov's deeply human quartets would be ennobled by the magnificence of the music. Fortunately, these performances by the Utrecht String Quartet are not terrible but tremendous. The Utrecht Quartet's understanding of Glazunov's music -- of its tender lyricism, its powerful rhythms, its integral forms, and, best of all, its quality of ineffable kindness -- is complete and its ability to express its affection and admiration for the music is consummate. While the Second and Fourth Quartets are wonderful works, the Elegy for Strings is that and something more, a profoundly moving but entirely dignified lament for all that is good and honest and wholesome and the Utrecht Quartet treats the work with the love and respect it deserves. Musikproduktion Dabringhaus und Grimm's sound is as real as the breeze through the window.