JULIUS WEISMANN (1879-1950): String Quartets No. 4 in A Minor, Op. 133 and No. 11 in G, Op. 148 (arr. Georg Mais).

Description: These quartets were written after Weismann's retirement, during the war while he was ensconced in the relative safety of Überlingen on Lake Constance. They are conservative, relying on melody and, in the finale of No. 4, fugue, and have a general serene quality which one often finds in the music of elderly or sick composers (and Weismann was both) sheltering from a war-torn world. Why conductor Mais (who happens to come from Überlingen) thinks that a string orchestra arrangement is better than the originals (aside from the fact that he wouldn't be performing them if they were string quartets) is beyond me but the amplification does give these attractive works the feel of string serenades. Southwest German Chamber Orchestra Pforzheim; Georg Mais.