Folklore Quartets of Joseph Guy Ropartz

Of the many cases of neglected string quartets, I found the Joseph Guy Ropartz's cycle is the totally hard to believe. The cycles is about six beautiful quartets written start around 1911. There are :

String Quartet No.1 in Gm
String Quartet No.2 in Dm
String Quartet No.3 in G
String Quartet No.4 in E
String Quartet No.5 in D Quasi una fantasia
String Quartet No.6 in F

and the recording by Stanislas Quatuor added extra piece Fantaisie brève, suited in 3 CDs. The complete recording by Quatuor Stanislas is maybe the first one ever and up till now the only one. The label is Timpani, a courageous and intelligent company, as said by CD noter.

Ropartz was a French composer and conductor and the article in wikipedia reveal his Briton / Celtic connection. Which is explained the beautiful folky melodies spread through these works. As Ropartz said, that he was the son of a country "where the goblins populate the moor and dance by the moony nights around the menhirs; where the fairies and the enchanters - Viviane and Merlin - have as a field the forest of Brocéliande; where the spirits of the unburied dead appear all white above the waters of the Bay of the Departed."  Hence, the works is always flows with ambient folk music but don't be wrong, it is also has its shinning intrique melodies. Listen to CD 1 the String quartet no.3 starts with enormous 'introduction' to Ropartz style ready to take you to the journey of his music. Till the last CD 3, the No.1 last movement really serves as the final farewell.

I totally hope this works can be soon included in our thirsty repertoire of Romantic string quartet. Take the CD of Ropartz's string quartet now vol 1 to 3.