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Title: Another Winner from the Emerson String Quartet
Review: The classical Grammy Award carries prestige (those for other genres are moot) and performances by the Emerson String Quartet have earned 6 such honors (the albums of two earned additional awards). Among them is Intimate Voices, the string quartets of Sibelius and Grieg. The members of the group are indeed supurb musicians (their Shostakovich quartets...another winner...are awesome) and the sound engineering of this recording is also excellent. String quartets through the ages have a unique sound with complex interactive play; they present unique challenges to the composer. Sibelius and Grieg wrote only one each, and while Nieilsen wrote four, only his mature last quartet has lasting merit. The Scandinavian feel is pronounced in these passionate, melodious, yet serious works, with folk tunes emerging in the Grieg and the Sibelius quartet reflective of his symphonies. Intimate Voices is a recording to own and experience.
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