Dan Zimmerman ([log in to unmask]) wrote:

>Mimi Ezutz recommends Indivisible by Four" by Arnold Steinhardt, first
>violinist of the Guarneri String Quartet.
>
>Another interesting book I read is (although not as good IMO as Steinhard's
>book) is "The Four and the one.  In Praise of String Quarterts" by David
>Rounds with Lafayette String Quartet.  It includes inside stories about the
>Lafayette Quartet and information about the string quartet genre in
>general.

I'll butt in here because I know the members of the Lafayette Quartet
pretty well (they are based here in Victoria) and, although I didn't think
Rounds' book particularly well written, the impression it gives of the four
(although I've never actually heard them rehearse) is certainly
recognisably them.

I'd also recommend the book as "interesting"; certainly its portrayal of
their struggles to make a living in the early days is sobering reading and
the chapters describing them rehearsing etc.  are fascinating to one whose
chamber-music playing days (extremely amateur they were too) are long past.

>One interesting difference described in the two books is the attitude
>towards Shostakovich.  The Lafayette quartet studied with Dubinsky, which
>was in the original Borodin Quartet, and one of their first recordings
>includes Shostakovich's third quartert.  A whole chapter in Round's book is
>dedicated to Shostakovich's third.  Steinhard, OTOH, describes in his book
>how some of the Guarneri members disliked Shosatkovich, considered this
>quartet shallow and consequently the Guarneri decided not to perform it.

The Guarneri's loss IMHO.  The Lafayette's gave a memorable account of
Dmitri's piano quintet with Luba Dubinsky a copuple of years ago, only
months after Rostislav's untimely death.  She was still mourning and only
agreed to come because of the close relationship he had with the LSQ
(originally both Rostislav and Luba were scheduled to perform that night).

I was introduced to her at the party afterwards, but found myself pretty
tongue-tied.  a) what do you say to the widow of a legend who is still b)
in mourning (and fairly evidently so).

I should mention, BTW, that the quintet was the final work in an all DSCH
programme which also included the 3rd and 8th quartets.  Not a cheerful
evening....

Deryk Barker
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