Derek Lim wrote:

>I suggest R. Strauss's Metamorphosen.

This is just a coincidence of timing, but the same day I initiated this
post, my copy of Metamorphosen by the Brandis Quartet on Nimbus arrived at
home.  I played it that evening, and it did remind me of the posting.  But,
there were a few rays of sunshine in the work which mitigated the heavy
weight of doom and gloom.  For me, Zemlinsky's string quartet no. 2 never
lets you out of its dire grasp.  Whether that's a good thing or not is
debatable.

Concerning the Nimbus recording, I'm not sure if I'm satisfied with the
recorded sound.  I'm finding it rather crude, but I have to stick with it
some more to determine if I think that's the right sound for this music.
Also, I haven't played around yet with my equalizer settings.  Being blunt,
I don't know the work well enough yet to conclude what type of sound suits
it best or whether I prefer the orchestral or chamber version.  All these
decisions to make, and I like to straddle the fence.

Don Satz
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