MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Bartok: The 6 String Quartets

"Intense and passionate … one of the most exciting chamber music recordings of recent years" Gramophone

Immediately hailed upon its release on Deutsche Grammophon in 1988 as setting new standards in this virtuoso repertoire, the Emerson Quartet's epoch-making set of Bartók quartets uniquely won both Gramophone's Record of the Year Award (1989) in the UK and a Grammy for Best Classical Album (1990) in the US.

"the only possible reaction, after hearing the Emerson Quartet playing Bartók, was a gulp. Perhaps a little rubbing of eyes and ears disbelief was also permitted. For this was the perfect interpretation. The savage mingled with the subtle. Rampant power balanced a shining textural clarity. Uncannily precise rapport was abundant, yet a sense of mystery, too: a feeling that the players were tapping subconscious forces within themselves and us" The Times, March 1990

"compellingly intense and passionate…it is a pleasure to welcome the appearance of what must be one of the most exciting chamber music recordings of recent years." Gramophone

awards of his recording:
- 1989 Gramophone record of the Year Award
- 1990 the Grammy