Forbes Classical CD of the Week

#CDoftheWeek on @ForbesOpinion: https://t.co/mQcXCxtdlp on @LaDolceVolta w/#Schumann stri… https://t.co/2DrOy0gxbp pic.twitter.com/LL4UGaq281

— Jens F. Laurson (@ClassicalCritic) May 19, 2016

…The three Schumann String Quartets (op.41/1-3) are not as present on the recital- or recording scene as one might assume, given the fame of the composer and the relative popularity of the genre. We notice this when there comes a recording our way – as seems to happen every decade or so – that turns our heads and makes us go: “Woha! Right – those works!”

The last time that has happened, it was the Zehetmair Quartet on ECM who delved into these works (Nos. 1 & 3, but not 2) and came out convincing winners in 2002. Before that, I suppose it was the Guarneri- and then the Melos Quartet’s recordings in the late 70s and late 80s, respectively, but even those haven’t consistently stayed in print. This recording with the French Quatuor Hermès (formed in 2008 at the Lyon Conservatory) is the newest in this line…

-> Classical CD of the Week: Once-In-A-Decade Schumann

R.Schumann, String Quartets, Quatuor Hermès La Dolce Volta