As suggested with respect to the major works, the Tempera Quartet handles all of this music expertly, and BIS's sonics are the most consistently excellent in the business. Jean Sibelius COMPLETE STRING QUARTETS Sibelius Academy Quartet New Helsinki Quartet CD-1 (47220 1-4 String Quartet In E Flat Major 5-8 String Quartet In. A tiny fragment of the original ending of Voces Intimae only a few seconds long fulfills BIS's intention to record every scrap of music that Sibelius wrote but the disc concludes sonorously with the Andante festivo, taken at a good clip and sounding less solemn than usual in this reduced format. It ends somewhat ambiguously (nothing new when it comes to Sibelius), here suggestive of more to follow-but what that might have been we will probably never know. The opening piece on the disc, a 12-minute Adagio, features a few attractive but not really memorable ideas. However, on occasion-in fortes-the tone of the violins turns a bit crude as the players dig into the notes with excessive vehemence. In the latter piece, the clean ensemble and vigorous rhythmic profiling prevent the music from sounding dour, particularly in the central slow movement (from which the quartet's nickname derives). The Tempera Quartet performs both this work and the later Voces Intimae with notable liveliness and evident enthusiasm. It also shows something of that instinctive feeling for movement that the mature composer developed to such a phenomenal degree. It contains some striking anticipations of the composer we know and love, particularly in the harmonies of its slow movement and in its imaginative use of string texture (pizzicato especially). 4 (1890) is quite lovely and well worth hearing.

Jean Sibelius: String Quartet in D minor, Op.Sibelius' early Quartet in B-flat Op. Bridge’s sound is lush, rich, and detailed.” - AllMusic (James Leonard) “A release as fully satisfying as some of the best quartet recordings ever made. Congratulations to all, especially for finding an apt way to present Ravel’s quartet without the obligatory pairing of the Debussy. “Bridge’s typically excellent sonics set the seal on a program that showcases both artists and repertoire to fine effect. A labor of love all around.” - Audiophile Audition

“The group brings a hearty homogeneity of tone to the five-movement 1908 Intimate Voices Quaret of Jean Sibelius, the composer’s moody, introspective self-portrait after a bout with what might have easily become throat cancer. In the hands of such musicians, the future of chamber music looks sunshine bright.” Honored at the Library of Congress with giving the opening concert of the season, The Washington Post reported “such security, technical finish interpretive unity and sheer gusto, it sounded as if these young string players had somehow been performing these works together for a good 50 or 60 years.the Daedalus members were so at-one with their composers, we were happily caught off-guard by every emotional surprise they sprang.” On this recording the Daedalus performs masterworks by three of the early twentieth century’s greatest composers- Sibelius, Stravinsky and Ravel. The Toronto Star wrote about the quartet’s “combination of stylistic awareness, technical polish and sheer musicality. Grand Prize winner of the Banff International String Quartet Competition, the Daedalus was recently named by the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center as the resident string quartet for Chamber Music Society Two for the 2005-07 seasons. This CD marks the debut recording of a remarkable young chamber ensemble- the Daedalus Quartet.

Sibelius String Quartets