Peter Goldstein asks: >Does anyone have an opinion on the Kronos Quartet recording of the >Schnittke String Quartets? Any other recordings you'd recommend? Having a great love of modern music I wish I could give more decisive and informed advice on this one. To my great shame I haven't heard this set by the Kronos Quartet. Part of the excuse is; lame though it may be, given that this is the only complete cycle of quartets I am aware of; is that I do not always find the Kronos Quartet the most powerful interpreters of music. Their Webern for example sounds a bit too dry for my taste. Still all credit to them for recording this set. If you are a fellow modern music lover who is receptive to this sort of release then by all means go ahead and buy it, as there is no competition, if it is indeed a complete cycle you are after. Also the fact that you are enquiring about it suggests that it is readily available to you. That is a plus because a good many releases of contemporary music come from very obscure sources. Many of these publishers only barely make ends meet or consider an enterprise a success if they recoup their loses. That's why I think its important to support this sort of thing. However if you are just curious about Schnittke's chamber music, and you are only a brief visitor to such shores then I would like to recommend a different release from the Borodin SQ is much more highly recommended. I see it is available in the US: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000025TVH/classicalnetA/ This contains a beautifully communicative performance of the 3rd Quartet. The Piano Quintet that comes coupled with it is also excellent. The filler is a really fascinating unfinished Quartet Movement by Mahler. As with Shostakovich the Borodins do a brilliant job of advocacy. They really make this music 'theirs' and play it with an 'authenticity' I doubt that other quartets will readily match. Then there is the sheer musical prowess of this awesome quartet. I once heard the Borodins play the 3rd Quartet live together with die Grosse Fuge and Shostakovich 8th, and I can reassure you they were remarkable. Interestingly, the opening 4 notes of die Grosse Fuge are D-Eb-C-B natural: in German DSCh, for D SCHostakovich. Shostakovich's name is invoked in the Schnittke work. It is only appropriate that the Borodins were close to both these key Russian composers. The other highly recommended top notch performance of a Schnittke string quartet is that of the 4th from its dedicatees, the Alban Berg SQ. Unfortunately at the moment it appears to be only available as part of a (otherwise fascinating) 4 CD set of 20th century string quartets: http://www.towerrecords.com/product.asp?pfid=1169798 This performance has a reputation for being much closer to being 'definitive' than the Kronos recording. Compared to the Kronos the ABSQ are just in a different league when it comes to music making. I sincerely hope I have been of some help. Are there any avid Schnittke fans out there with strong views...? If so I am 'all ears'! I would be particularly appreciative myself if I could be directed to some really worthwhile music by this composer I haven't heard yet. Satoshi Akima Sydney, Australia [log in to unmask]