During summertime I sometimes crave the taste of pea soup. You know, a nice wintery taste. I am weird that way, like swimming against the current. I have had periods that I really wanted to listen to Tom Waits all day, enjoying the sound of his whisky-soaked voice in the midst of a clear summer day. This record had that same effect on me. It felt like balm on my soul, like eating pea soup when other people are sweating their collective asses off on the beach. If this sounds weird to you, you probably are right.
The Wiener Oktett was founded in 1947 by Willy Boskovsky (remember him?). Its members are coming from the two main orchestra’s in the Austrian capitol: the Wiener Symphoniker and the Wiener Philharmoniker. Both orchestra’s are in high regard, and the second is seen as the top ranking orchestra in the world. They are a bit conservative though. No real surprises in this recording either, just high quality performance and sound.