Ong Yong Hui wrote:

>I had ordered the Fitzwilliam quartet's box of the DSCH quartets a few
>weeks ago and checked on that order recently.  The assistant informed me
>that the item has not arrived yet, and then enthusiastically recommend the
>Borodin's set on Virgin.  In terms of performance and the sound quality,
>which one would come out above?

Here We go again:

- The shop assistant might be willing but does not seem to be very
knowledged in the art of DSCH' quartets: The Borondins only recorded five
out of fifteen for Virgin (2 CD's - No's 2, 3, 7, 8, 12 - there is also a
disc on TELDEC, the company to which the quartet is signed at the moment,
with No's 1 & 15, all three discs are 'maturedly' played, and the sound
on the Virgin discs ar churchly spacious, all full price)

- The assistant might be refering to the set formely issued by EMI (under
licence) now rereleased in a newly remastered set (1997) on BMG/Melodiya,
this is the set I and many others recomend, good sound (much better than
the old EMI transfers) and superb playing (mid price).  The only draw-back
is that these recordings are post Rostislav Dubinsky leaving the the band
done in the 70'ties early eighties- We yet await the resurfacing of the
incomplete (AFAIK) set with RD at the helm.  If You want to check the
Dubindsky effect on the band there is a No 8 on Decca from the early
60'ies, stunning...

- Alternatives to the Borodins; I recomend the Shostakovich Qt.  on Olympia
(still very cheap at Berkshire..), I personally do not like the Fitzwilliam
Ot.  on Decca, but it has many advocates, especially British reviewers
(might be some kind of connection here..)

- Some still maintain that You havent heard DSCH's quatets untill You have
heard them played by the Beethoven Qt.  (who premiered all but the first),
but the currently only avalible transfers on Consonace have a sound that at
its best is two dimensional and always muddled (taken from Ostankino radio,
mono tapes), thus only recomended for the completist.

- I do not belive that the Virgin/Teldec incomplete cycle will be completed
very soon as the Borodins traded members under 1998 (7?), I havent heard
the new set up, so I cant tell about their current status, the intermediate
prime, Mikhail Kopelman now has that seat with the Tokyo Qt.

- Executive short cut: Get the Melodiya set, its the best one availible -
period, btw; besides the qts.  You will get a smashing piano quintet
featuring Sviatoslav Richter.

Cheers
Peter Lundin, Gothenburg, Sweden