I've had a listening addiction the past few days for Dvorak's String
Quartet, Opus 61.  I keep playing it, and when I'm not, I keep hearing it
in my head.  It's such a fine work, and a couple of years ago I would have
turned off the cd player before the end of the first movement.  But not
today.  After work, I bought a Dvorak string quartet cd from the Lindsay
Quartet.  Then, driving home, I played Schmidt's Clarinet Quintet in A and
it sounded better than ever.  I'll likely be listening to that work much
over the next few days.

Whenever I start thinking about my liking for late romantic pieces,
this particular Schmidt work brings the reasons to the forefront.  It has
a great variety of mood and style ranging from the "salon" sound (done
beautifully) to an angular and somewhat dissonant style loaded with energy
and anticipation.  I should also mention Schmidt's Clarinet Quintet in B
flat which is another winning piece.  Both works are available on separate
Marco Polo cd's.

This has definitely been a fine day for chamber music, and there are many
more ahead.  Has anyone heard the Shebalin string quartet cd from Olympia?


Don Satz
[log in to unmask]