Smetana Quartet No. 1, played by the Primrose Quartet (1940)

Smetana: String Quartet No. 1 in E Minor ("From My Life")
The Primrose Quartet
Oscar Shumsky, violin I
Josef Gingold, violin II
William Primrose, viola
Harvey Shapiro, cello
Recorded February 6 and 15, 1940, in New York City, on Victor matrices CS-047008 through CS-047014. Issued later the same year as Victor Musical Masterpiece Set M-675 (records 16313 through 16316-S), in slide automatic sequence as Set AM-675 (records 16317 through 16320-S), and in drop automatic sequence as Set DM-675 (records 16321-S through 16324). In all three cases, the final side was left blank.
The movements of the Quartet are as follows:
1. Allegro vivo appassionato
2. Allegro moderato a la Polka (at 6:35)
3. Largo sostenuto (at 11:48)
4. Allegro vivace (at 21:05)
The Primrose Quartet was formed in 1938 at the invitation of NBC; all four members were also members of Toscanini's NBC Symphony Orchestra. The group was short-lived, being disbanded when the United States entered World War II, as Shumsky served in the U.S. Navy.
To download a higher-quality audio file of this recording, please visit my blog, The Shellackophile - shellackophile.... - where this and many other vintage recordings may be downloaded.

[@andreaskanten5364]

Best Recording of this masterwork by far. Amazing.

[@jackhousman6637]

Thank you, very much for this fine rare performance.

[@warandcheese]

Thank you. Beautiful.

[@stutti42]

Marvelous!

[@erenirsantana9208]

Magistral interpretação, digna de Summer e Dominik...