-
MusicWeb Names Our Brahms Quartets a Recommended Release!
Our new Brahms: String Quartets recording received a MusicWeb International Recommended distinction and new review from critic Ralph Moore. “The joy of this quartet’s playing is immediately apparent in the ferocious opening movement of the C minor quartet: they play with all the verve, drive and passion you could wish for but never at the…
-
The Whole Note Reviews Dvořák: Locale!
The Whole Note’s Ivana Popovich reviews our Dvořák : Locale recording in their December 2019 issue: “ If I was asked to describe Dvořák’s chamber music, I would say it has the characteristics of an abundant ball of energy, the one that brings joy no matter what and is enriched by the occasional touch of…
-
Five Star AllMusic Review for Dvořák: Locale!
AllMusic‘s James Manheim gives a Five-Star rating to our Dvořák : Locale recording! “There is absolutely no shortage of recordings of these two popular Dvorák works, but this one is a standout. … Consider this pairing of the String Quartet in F major, Op. 96 (“American”), with the Piano Quintet in A major, Op. 81.…
-
Fanfare finds Dvořák: Locale to be a Gratifying Achievement!
Huntley Dent is the second Fanfare critic to add our new Dvořák : Locale recording in the “Not To Be Missed”! “ the Alexander String Quartet delivers profoundly beautiful readings of two Dvořák masterpieces with a remarkable feeling of freshness. No passage is played by rote, and you never feel the fatigue of years. For…
-
Fanfare says Locale is Not To Be Missed!
Jerry Dubins of Fanfare Magazine not only has our new Dvořák : Locale recording in the “Not To Be Missed” section, he’s also entering it in Fanfare‘s Classical Hall of Fame! “The Alexander String Quartet, joined by Joyce Yang in Dvořák’s Piano Quintet, has done it again. Hard on the heels of the ASQ’s recent…
-
Art Music Lounge Reviews Apotheosis Vol. 1
The Art Music Lounge‘s Lynn René Bayley reviews our Mozart: The Final Quartets – Apotheosis, Vol. 1 recording: “their performances put me in mind of the justly famous ones made many moons ago by the legendary Amadeus Quartet. … Alexander’s first violinist, Zakarias Grafilo, plays so beautifully that he could easily be a standout concerto…
-
In meinem Himmel “is very much worth having”
“Grafilo’s sensitivity to Mahler actually comes through particularly well… all these quartet adaptations can and perhaps should be regarded as experiments in sonority and emotional communication, and if they are not entirely Mahlerian in the former of those ways, they are highly effective in the latter. Much credit for their expressive impact goes to mezzo-soprano Kindra…
-
A Warm Recommendation for the Mozart Piano Quartets
“Joyce Yang plays with a full, brilliant tone, definitely aimed at getting the most possible out of the modern piano. The Alexanders play on a matched 1987 set of instruments made by Francis Kuttner. The violin and cello are designed after Stradivarius models. Together the strings produce a rich blended tone… Yang and the Alexanders…
-
“You Can’t Go Wrong” With Mozart Apotheosis Vol. 2
American Record Guide critic, Paul Althouse, has a new review of our Mozart Piano Quartets recording with Joyce Yang in the November/December 2018 issue: “These Mozart quartets strike a perfect balance between vibrant energy and lyrical grace. The music never feels too slow or indulged; indeed, the energy never flags. At the same time, though,…
-
Art Music Lounge Reviews In meinem Himmel
Lynn René Bayley offers a new review for our Mahler Song Cycles: In meinem Himmel recording on her Art Music Lounge blog: “All of these reductions were arranged by the group’s violinist Zakarias Grafilo, and they are indeed faithful to the originals in harmony and texture. … But as in the case of any album of…
-
A Warm Recommendation for The Mahler Song Cycles from Fanfare Magazine
Fanfare Magazine’s Huntley Dent gives a recommendation for The Mahler Song Cycles: In meinem Himmel in the January/February 2019 issue: “The [Songs of a Wayfarer] song cycle poses no perplexity for the acclaimed Alexander String Quartet and mezzo Kindra Scharich. She sings with musical sensitivity, attention to the text, spot-on intonation, and a meltingly lovely timbre.…
-
New Classics Reviews In Meinem Himmel
The UK’s New Classics review site features our new release with Kindra Scharich, Mahler Song Cycles: In meinem Himmel: “Zakarias Grafilo, violinist with the Alexander String Quartet, has transcribed these wonderful song cycles, saying that he ‘Wanted to recreate some of the aural colours from the orchestral instrumentation while maintaining the intimacy of the piano…