Don writes:

>Has anyone heard the Shebalin string quartet cd from Olympia?

Yes we have, they're a treat, a semitone of soviet gray in colour,
musically somewere in between Miaskovsky and Shostakovich - the Krasni
Quartet is a bit Youthful (still students at the St.  P-burg conservatory
AFAIK), but for a first reciording ever very promising.  Anyone who enjoy
mid 20'th century russian repertoire will enjoy this (as well as shebalins
symphonies that also are availible on Olympia.)

And indeed, as Don says; A Good Day for Chamber Music - I spent the
day chasing used LP's and wound up with two old VoxBox LP sets with
string quartets by American composers (Peter Mennin, Aaron Copland, Walter
Piston, George Gershwin, Virgil Thomson, Charles Ives, William Schuman,
Roger Sessions, Howard Hanson, Carlos Surinach, Paul Hindemith, Ernest
Bloch, Alexander Tcherepnin, Igor Stravinsky, Mikos Rozsa, Erich Wolfgang
Korngold), what a treat, and only $4 a box (3 LP's each)..  Hooray I'm such
a lucky fella to still have a Gramophone..

If some one has anything intrestting to write about Carlos Surinach, I'd
love to read it, I found his string quartet from 1975 very stimulating (was
born in Spain I understand) - recomendations of other pieces/recordings
wanted..

I also found two Panton LP's with music by Emil Burian (of whom I've only
heard a string quartet before) and several Donemus (Dutch) Audio/Vision
sets complete with scores (How come there's never complete scores with
CD's, could it be that they are to small?), among with three symphonies by
Hendrik Andriessen (1 - 3) and some pieces by Henk Badings, a feast for my
ears!

peter lundin, gothenburg.se -  Counting the days: DSCH 100 (1906-2006)