Scott Peterson ([log in to unmask]) wrote:

>I have the Borodin String Quartet's version of the Shostakovich string
>quartet cycle and love it.  I recently found a great price on the Emerson
>String Quartet's version, however, and was wondering if anyone has heard
>it.  Is it worth picking up on sale as an addition to the Borodins?

You don't say which Borodin version you have.  They first recorded the
cycle when it only had 13 quartets, this was on EMI (outside the USSR of
course, Melodiya inside).  They then rerecorded the cycle (plus the more
recent 14 & 15) for Virgin IIRC, which of course now belongs to EMI.

I seem to recall there was a third cycle (complete?) made after Dubinsky
had left.

Sorry, but I don't know the Emersons.

>I've been enjoying Don Satz's review of various versions of Bach's "Art
>of the Fugue"--perhaps my single favorite piece of music--but he hasn't
>mentioned Tatiana Nikolaeva's piano version.  I love her on Shostakovich's
>"24 Preludes and Fugues." Is her Bach as accomplished as her Shostakovich?
>(Obviously, it impressed Shostakovich himself.) The one criticism I've
>heard of her is that she tends to be slow.  Her Shostakovich IS quite slow
>compared to Keith Jarrett's version.  Is her "Art of the Fugue" also on the
>slow side? And does that matter?

Well, her Goldbergs are very slow, 79 minutes +, not including all repeats.
Works for me, but unless you like your Bach Romantic, it might not for you.

Deryk Barker
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