Szymanowski: String Quartets / Stravinsky: Concertino

"NAXOS here add to their store of the works of Karol Szymanowski, Poland's greatest composer of the early 20th century. Ten years separate the composition of his two string quartets, the First written in 1917, at a time when the composer was engaged in a war-time frenzy of composition. Both works are deeply imbued with the sensuality which was such a charateriztic of Szymanowski's music. Straveinsky's music for quartet is altogether drier, though the extraordinary un-quartetlike Three Pieces of 1914, representing the composer at his most individual, are every bit as mesmerizing. The Goldner String Quarter of Australia, offer strongly characterised readings."
- The Irish Times (Dublin) (Michael Dervan) Friday September 8, 2000

"Szymanowski creates richly exotic textures in these original and tautly constructed works, written 10 years apart - in 1917 and 1927 - as he was developing his style. Occasionally echoing Debussy and Ravel, they make a pointful contrast with Stravinsky's characteristically cryptic essays in the genre, which are sharp and often brittle. The Goldner Quartet prove to be understanding, refined interpreters of both composers, playing with rapt intensity in the hushed slow movements of the Szymanowski works and with dramatic bite in the Stravinsky pieces. Excellent sound."
- The Guardian (Edward Greenfield) Friday November 3, 2000

"Karol Szymanowski's two string quartets belong with those of Bartok and Janácek in the stable of 'great 20th century chamber works by Eastern European/Slavic composers.' Okay, so it's not exactly an obvious set of criteria for record collecting, but you sure won't be sorry if you take the plunge now. Both works display the composer's love of lush, exotic textures, intermingled with some tangy dissonance, punchy rhythms, and the occasional folk-music excursion. And have you ever heard anything as purely lovely as the opening of the First Quartet? Unfortunately, these pieces have not been especially well served on disc, with the Carmina Quartet's very good Denon recording taking pride of place, at least until now. The Australian Goldner Quartet gives the music a touch more breathing room, which is all to the good, and plays with no less commitment and verve, if perhaps not quite as much ensemble polish (those stratospheric violin lines are murder, though Dene Olding, a distinguished soloist in his own right, attacks them fearlessly). Toss in the equally rare (and just as welcome) pieces by Stravinsky, and at Naxos' price you can travel these relatively uncharted waters with complete satisfaction."
- ClassicsToday.com (David Hurwitz)