I’m so pleased that I once took (a long ago) the three CDs of The Fry Street Quartet for a review. Not because the IsoMike label is perhaps better known for its experimental approach to multi-channel sound – four channels actually. For an audiophile it is thrilling to learn that EMM Labs AD/DA converters; Pass Labs amplifiers; Magnepan, B&W and other speakers, Kimber cables etc. have been used for making these recordings. But interesting as the sound quality of these records is, I’m not going to say much of it in this connection. And I have the best excuse one can have: the music!
A winner of many Prizes, The Fry Street Quartet started as the Faculty Quartet of in Residence at Utah State University’s School of the Arts. The quartet equaled to Jessica Guider, Violin, Rebecca McFaul, Violin, Russel Fallstadt, Viola, and Anne Francis, Cello.
Relatively young musicians, a challenging repertoire: string quartets by young (Op. 18, No. 4) and aged (Op. 130 & Op. 133) Beethoven; young (Op. 9, No. 4) and aged (Op. 77, No.2) Haydn, as well as string quartets by Stravinsky, Rorem and Scearce (FSQ CD3). The last mentioned record carry another CD with two further Beethoven’s string quartets. I’ve got little against the FSQ’s Beethoven (Op. 18, No. 5 and Op. 132) but since Beethoven’s quartets are so burdened by the long tradition of interpretations and meta-interpretations, I just want to praise the two other CDs here.
The FSQ’s CD on Haydn’s quartets is one of the most encouraging CDs on this topic I’ve heard for a long time. The playing is precise, but not too analytic or academic. Substantive, but not too deep. Much is written of the dual nature of Haydn’s string quartets – seriousness vs. playfulness – but very rarely these quartets come to life in such a reassuring way that they do in this record. And here the excellent stereo mixing (I only listened to the CD format) fully supports the FSQ’s outward interpretation. This record can be recommended to everyone but it’s a must for those who’ve been waiting for an accessible yet to a large extent ‘correct’ playing of Haydn’s imaginative musical ideas of his string quartets.
The Super Audio CD Hybrid format allows for listening in SACD, SACD 4-channel Surround Sound, and conventional CD players.
