The Vienna String Sextet
was founded in 1979 and has dedicated
itself to performing the string sextet
and quintet repertoire of composers
such as Mozart, Brahms and the Second
Viennese School. Unfortunately this
ensemble held its farewell tour last
year. It will be greatly missed as it
rates highly for the style and sparkle
of its playing.
The Sextet often used
a Strauss waltz or polka as an encore
at the end of a concert and these arrangements
are ideal for this purpose. The playing
here is admirable with a sophistication
of beat and phrasing which goes with
the territory. The only problem with
these transcriptions is that when heard
one after the other, the ear begins
to seek for other colourations. A comparison,
for example of the sound of the waltz
Kunstlerleben with the orchestral
version (as heard in the venerable 1947
recording by the Vienna Philharmonic
Orchestra under Herbert von Karajan)
shows how much is gained by the sounds
from a full orchestra and also the extra
dynamic range used.
Apart from the last
two waltzes, which fall into a different
category from the other pieces, the
provenance of the versions played are
not stated. Pizzicato-Polka appears
to be a scaled down version of the orthodox
scoring but the other pieces are normally
heard in full orchestral scoring.
The arrangements by
Anton Webern and by Alban Berg are in
a quite different category. These were
written for a money-raising concert
in 1921 together with an arrangement
by Arnold Schönberg of Roses
from the South (he also later wrote
a similar arrangement of Emperor
Waltz). These rather quirky arrangements
make fascinating listening and they
succeed in casting a new light on the
genius of Johann Strauss. There is sufficient
space to have included the two Schönberg
pieces, which are in my opinion better
than the two included here. A very good
recording of these four pieces is included
in CPO 999 588-2, performed by the Vienna
String Quartet.
A rather superior cardboard
folder is used to present the disc;
the booklet has an interesting essay
about the Strauss family and of the
arrangements by the composers of the
Second Viennese School but disappoints
by not discussing the two pieces by
Joseph Strauss, which will be unknown
to most listeners. The recorded sound
is excellent
Arthur Baker
Wiener Streichsextet 
