Best string quartets

Franck's deserves a listening. Not on par w/ his string quintet but a good sq though as usual dealing w/ this composer's works.

I mean, ....w/ his piano quintet!

Whenever Franck wrote one work in any genre or medium (THE Violin Sonata, the String Quartet, the Piano Quintet, the Symphony in D) he excelled sometimes reaching the very top (Violin Sonata). When he embarked on the Piano Trio medium, he wrote more (about four) and he...paid the price.

In any case, his String Quartet and his Piano Quintet are supreme works in their own fields, the sort of "one of a kind" works, worthy of the highest superlatives. Unfortunately for them, we have Beethoven's, Schubert's and some more String Quartets and, at least, the glorious and monumental Brahms' Piano Quintet (also in f minor) always to remember and compare...

Parla

I wrote string quintet instead of piano quintet in my first post (Franck didn't write a string quintet as far as I know).

It's a pity that you don't enjoy Franck's violin sonata BR: to me, one of the best of this genre. But our idionsyncracy makes things like this sometimes. Anyway, try something w/ less sugar content: Kremer - Maisenberg (Praga), Grumiaux - Sebok (Philips)....

As I said, his string quartet is not the same level as his piano quintet, but deserves a spin or a streaming once in a while: there are few recommended recordings: Spiegel (MDG) is certainly one of them.

Bazza, I've tried to register on the Haydnesque group, but keep drawing a blank. It seems a sane and civilised group.Is there a problem with the registration process on it? 

The musical partnership between violin and piano is ideal for reproduction in the home environment.Like Parla I am a great fan of the Franck sonata,but I would hesitate to call it the best,whatever his violinist friend says.
There is so much - As well as Beethoven and Brahms, there is Mozart (isn't there always). Prokofiev,I like "the wind blowing through the cemetery"one. Two in the outfield I often give a play are Elgar and Respighi.Josef Suk recorded the Respighi violin sonata twice,I have the earlier performance on a Supraphon LP.Fantastic forceful performance,you would never guess Respighi as the composer.

My all time favorite recording for violin and piano, also one of my most treasured records, is David Oistrakh accompanied on piano by Lev Oborin playing J S Bach sonata no.5. I am sadly not religious by nature, but that long first movement is as close as anything has got too converting me.

"There is so much", History Man, indeed, in the Violin/Piano repertory, but which Sonata has achieved the features of Franck's? Most of them follow the usual pattern of the three movements, where practically each movement is an independent piece, connected by the musical characteristics of the key's relation. Even the titanic "Kreutzer" by Beethoven has not particular narrative or any cyclic character.

Which of Brahms has a superior role to play. They are all three very good Sonatas, but none is the superb, special, unique one. Mozart's Sonatas, as beautiful and marvelous they are, are mostly works for Piano with Violin. Even the early Beethoven ones are written on this basis.

Elgar's, Respighi's or Prokofiev's are interesting, compelling works, but they never convince even the violinists in general to play them consistently and, of course, the public to pay any particular attention to them.

The coherence in the narrative, the superb melodic lines (particularly in the glorious finale), the complex and yet clean rhythmic patterns, the greatly idiomatic writing for both instruments (to that effect, only perhaps Brahms' sonatas achieve such blend of perfect balance of both instruments' score) and this brilliant cyclic interconnection of the material from movement to movement (unique for this medium and almost in any form of Chamber Music) make Franck's Sonata the highest of all.

So, it is not what my violinst friends say, HM, but rather what Franck's opus says...

Parla