Beethoven: String Quartets Op. 18 & 131 [Import]

Track Listings
1. Allegro Ma Non Tanto    
2. Scherzo. Andante Scherzoso, Quasi Allegretto    
3. Menuetto. Allegretto    
4. Allegro- Prestissimo    
5. Adagio, Ma Non Troppo E Molto Espressivo    
6. Allegro Molto Vivace    
7. Allegro Moderato    
8. Andante Ma Non Troppo E Molto Cantabile    
9. Presto    
10. Adagio Quasi    
11. Allegro    

Beethoven: String Quartets Op. 18 & 131, Music, Hagen Quartett, Ludwig Van Beethoven, Classical
Beethoven - The Complete String Quartets / Alban Berg Quartet
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • A wonderful Beethoven cycle
  • A LONG TIME COMING AT THIS PRICE
  • What more can be said?
  • With the Best of the Best
  • What sound problems????
 Beethoven - The Complete String Quartets / Alban Berg Quartet
Ludwig van Beethoven , Alban Berg Quartet , and Gerhard Schulz, Hatto Beyerle, Thomas Kakuska, Valentin Erben Günther Pichler
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:
  1. Beethoven: Complete Piano Sonatas / Daniel Barenboim
  2. Beethoven: The Complete Symphonies and Piano Concertos
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  4. Shostakovich: The String Quartets
  5. Complete String Quartets

ASIN: B000026D4J
Release Date: 1999-11-16

Tracks:

  1. Op. 18 No. 1 In F Major: I: Allegro Con Brio - Alban Berg Quartett
  2. Op. 18 No. 1 In F Major: II: Adagio Affettuoso Ed Appassionato - Alban Berg Quartett
  3. Op. 18 No. 1 In F Major: III: Scherzo (Allegro Molto) & Trio - Alban Berg Quartett
  4. Op. 18 No. 1 In F Major: IV: Allegro - Alban Berg Quartett
  5. Op. 59 No. 1 In F Major 'Rasumovsky': I: Allegro - Alban Berg Quartett
  6. Op. 59 No. 1 In F Major 'Rasumovsky': II: Allegretto Vivace E Sempre Scherzando - Alban Berg Quartett
  7. Op. 59 No. 1 In F Major 'Rasumovsky': III: Adagio molto e mesto : IV: Allegro (Th russe) - Alban Berg Quartett

Tracks:

  1. Op. 18 No.2 In G Major: I: Allegro - Alban Berg Quartett
  2. Op. 18 No.2 In G Major: II: Adagio cantabile - Alban Berg Quartett
  3. Op. 18 No.2 In G Major: III: Scherzo (Allegro) & Trio - Alban Berg Quartett
  4. Op. 18 No.2 In G Major: IV: Allegro molto, quasi presto - Alban Berg Quartett
  5. Op. 18 No. 6 In B Flat Major: I: Allegro con brio - Alban Berg Quartett
  6. Op. 18 No. 6 In B Flat Major: II: Adagio, ma non troppo - Alban Berg Quartett
  7. Op. 18 No. 6 In B Flat Major: III: Scherzo (Allegro) & Trio - Alban Berg Quartett
  8. Op. 18 No. 6 In B Flat Major: IV: Adagio (La Malinconia) - Allegretto quasi Allegro - Alban Berg Quartett
  9. Op. 135 In F Major: I: Allegretto - Alban Berg Quartett
  10. Op. 135 In F Major: II: Vivace - Alban Berg Quartett
  11. Op. 135 In F Major: III: Lento assai, cantante e tranquillo - Alban Berg Quartett
  12. Op. 135 In F Major: IV: Grave, ma non troppo tratto - Allegro - Alban Berg Quartett

Tracks:

  1. Op. 18 No. 3 In D Major: I. Allegro
  2. Op. 18 No. 3 In D Major: II. Andante con moto
  3. III. Allegro
  4. Op. 18 No. 3 In D Major: IV. Presto
  5. Op. 18 No. 5 in A Major: I. Allegro
  6. Op. 18 No. 5 in A Major: II. Menuetto & Trio
  7. Op. 18 No. 5 in A Major: III. Andante cantabile
  8. Op. 18 No. 5 in A Major: IV. Allegro
  9. Op. 95 In F Minor: I. Allegro con brio
  10. Op. 95 In F Minor: II. Allegretto ma non troppo
  11. Op. 95 In F Minor: III: Allegro assai vivace, ma serioso

Tracks:

  1. Op. 18 No. 4 In C Minor: I. Allegro ma non tanto
  2. Op. 18 No. 4 In C Minor: II. Scherzo (Andante scherzoso quasi Allegretto)
  3. Op. 18 No. 4 In C Minor: III. Menuetto (Allegretto) & Trio
  4. Op. 18 No. 4 In C Minor: IV. Allegro
  5. Op. 130 in B flat Major: I. Adagio ma non troppo - Allegro
  6. Op. 130 in B flat Major: II. Presto
  7. Op. 130 in B flat Major: III. Andante con moto, ma non troppo
  8. Op. 130 in B flat Major: IV. Alla danza tedesca (Allegro assai)
  9. Op. 130 in B flat Major: V Cavatina (Adagio molto espressivo)
  10. Grosse Fuge In B Flat Major, Op. 133
  11. Op. 130 in B flat Major: VI. Finale (Allegro)

Tracks:

  1. Op. 59 No. 2 In E Minor 'Rasumovsky': I: Allegro
  2. Op. 59 No. 2 In E Minor 'Rasumovsky': II: Molto Allegro
  3. Op. 59 No. 2 In E Minor 'Rasumovsky': III: Allegretto
  4. Op. 59 No. 2 In E Minor 'Rasumovsky': IV: Finale (Presto)
  5. Op. 127 In E Flat Major: I: Maaestoso - Allegro
  6. Op. 127 In E Flat Major: II: Adagio ma non troppo, molto cantabile
  7. Op. 127 In E Flat Major: III: Scherzando vivace
  8. Op. 127 In E Flat Major: IV: Finale

Tracks:

  1. Op. 59 No. 3 In C Major 'Rasumovsky': I: Introduzione (Andante con moto) - Allegro vivace
  2. Op. 59 No. 3 In C Major 'Rasumovsky': II: Andante con moto quasi allegretto
  3. Op. 59 No. 3 In C Major 'Rasumovsky': III: Menuetto (Grazioso) & Trio
  4. Op. 131 In C Sharp Minor: I: Adagio ma non troppo e molto espressivo
  5. Op. 131 In C Sharp Minor: II: Allegro molto vivace
  6. Op. 131 In C Sharp Minor: III: Allegro moderato
  7. Op. 131 In C Sharp Minor: IV: Andante ma non troppo e molto cantabile
  8. Op. 131 In C Sharp Minor: V: Presto
  9. Op. 131 In C Sharp Minor: VI: Adagio quasi un poco andante
  10. Op. 131 In C Sharp Minor: VI: Adagio quasi un poco andante

Tracks:

  1. Op. 74 In E Flat Major 'Harp': I Poco adagio - Allegro - Beethoven
  2. Op. 74 In E Flat Major 'Harp': II. Adagio ma non troppo - Beethoven
  3. Op. 74 In E Flat Major 'Harp': III. Presto - Beethoven
  4. Op. 74 In E Flat Major 'Harp': IV: Allegretto con Variazioni - Beethoven
  5. Op.132 In A Minor: I: Allegro sostenuto - Allegro - Beethoven
  6. Op.132 In A Minor: II: Allegro ma non tanto - Beethoven
  7. Op.132 In A Minor: III: Molto adagio - Beethoven
  8. Op.132 In A Minor: IV: Alla marcia, assai vivace - Beethoven

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars A wonderful Beethoven cycle.......2007-06-18

This is a fine recording, remastered for the reissue. Intelligent, driving, finely played. Excellent musicianship. Buy it. You won't be sorry you did.

5 out of 5 stars A LONG TIME COMING AT THIS PRICE .......2007-06-02

On LP I own any number of complete Beethoven String Quartets by the great masters of that genre. I bought them all as a teenager and in college. When I started buying CDs a complete Beethoven set for over $100 by a great quartet became out of my price range at the time. To find the Berg Quartet, (a favorite group of mine), surveying these great works at this price from Amazon is one of the best bargains going.

I went immediately to Op. 135 and found it marvelous in concept, execution and recording. I've now listened to almost all the quartets, and the consistency is wonderful. Because I'm in the business I'm using only high end professional equipment for playback and the sound is truly "You Are There". The recordings capture the upper overtones of all the instruments without the least harhsness, no mean feat. The blend of the group and the hall is articulated in a way that happens on only a very few recordings. Ocassionally one can hear a minor difference in what might be placement of microphones, even from movement to movement. This could, in fact, be the result of a temperature or humidity change in the recording venue. You have to pay very close attention to notice this and it does nothing to diminish these sonic wonders) Worth thrice the price.

5 out of 5 stars What more can be said?.......2007-02-03

There are many wonderful performances of these remarkable pieces. Which is the finest? Only God, in his wisdom, will ever be able to answer such a question, but I'm sure with his celestial headphones on he'll be listening to the Alban Berg Quartet. For me this quartet is able to "read" each individual quartet with such clarity, from the light hearted humor of the Op.18 to the intense and darkly passionate Op.95 through to the strangely happy yet unearthly Op.135, with many other wonderful moments, that I can hardly imagine any better. You won't go wrong buying this.

5 out of 5 stars With the Best of the Best.......2006-12-14

I know it's saying a great deal with the excellent full sets of these quartets to choose from, but these overall are my favorites. The playing is excellent, balanced and perfectly toned. There are unquestionably the deep emotional commitment of the Vegh Quartet, the intelligence of the Juilliard, the parlor intimacy of the Talisch and the muscular intensity of the Italiano. And the serious collector needs to listen to these sets, or selections of, for a rounded understanding of these works. But for a consistency of quality and feeling throughout a traversal of all the quartets I believe the Berg set wins an arguably close contest--at least for me.

5 out of 5 stars What sound problems????.......2006-11-14

I am only writing this review in dispute of RB Townsend remarks below.
I have been listening to this mostly Live set for a few years now on high end Audiophile equipment and notice NO problems with sound at all.
It is clear, clean, crisp, transparent and rich with no "glare" at all.
if it is "well lit", this would suit Beethoven's strings perfectly.
An absolutely stunning performance with a Superb sound stage and sound.
All the other reviewers and the buyers who agree with their assessments (a hundred of them) can't be wrong.
With all due respect, Perhaps Mr. Townsend is listening to this on an Aiwa bookshelf System. Perhaps.
Beethoven: The String Quartets
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • Beethoven Mastery
  • An excellent collection for the Beethoven aficionado
  • Trying to understand what the Emersons want to achieve
  • Where's the Beef? It's a Great Cut
  • GETTING THERE
 Beethoven: The String Quartets

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:
  1. Bela Bartok: The 6 String Quartets - Emerson String Quartet
  2. Mendelssohn: The Complete String Quartets / Emerson String Quartet
  3. The Haydn Project
  4. Beethoven: The Complete Sonatas
  5. Franz Schubert: String Quartets D 804 "Rosamunde", D 810 "Death and the Maiden", D 887, D 703 and String Quintet D 956

ASIN: B0000041KV
Release Date: 1997-03-11

Tracks:

  1. 6 String Quartet Op. 18 No. 3 In D Major: Allegro
  2. 6 String Quartet Op. 18 No. 3 In D Major: Andante con moto
  3. 6 String Quartet Op. 18 No. 3 In D Major: Allegro
  4. 6 String Quartet Op18. No. 3 In D Major: Presto
  5. 6 String Quartet Op18. No. 1 In F Major: Allegro con brio
  6. 6 String Quartet Op. 18 No. 1 In F Major: Adagio affettuoso ed appassionato
  7. 6 String Quartet Op. 18 No. 1 In F Major: Scherzo: Allegro molto
  8. 6 String Quartet Op. 18 No. 1 In F Major: Allegro
  9. 6 String Quartet Op. 18 No. 2 In G Major: Allegro
  10. 6 String Quartet Op. 18 No. 2 In G Major: Adagio cantabile - Allegro - Tempo I
  11. 6 String Quartet Op. 18 No. 2 In G Major: Scherzo: Allegro
  12. 6 String Quartet Op. 18 No. 2 In G Major: Allegro molto, quasi Presto

Tracks:

  1. 6 String Quartet Op. 18 No. 4 In C Minor: Allegro ma non tanto
  2. 6 String Quartet Op. 18 No. 4 In C Minor: Andante scherzoso quasi Allegretto
  3. 6 String Quartet Op. 18 No. 4 In C Minor: Menuetto: Allegretto
  4. 6 String Quartet Op. 18 No. 4 In C Minor: Allegro: Prestissimo
  5. 6 String Quartets Op. 18 No. 5 In A Major: Allegro
  6. 6 String Quartets Op. 18 No. 5 In A Major: Menuetto
  7. 6 String Quartets Op. 18 No. 5 In A Major: Andante cantabile
  8. 6 String Quartets Op. 18 No. 5 In A Major: Allegro
  9. 6 String Quartet Op. 18 No. 6 In B Flat Major: Allegro con brio
  10. 6 String Quartet Op. 18 No. 6 In B Flat Major: Adagio ma non Troppo
  11. 6 String Quartet Op. 18 No. 6 In B Flat Major: Scherzo: Allegro
  12. 6 String Quartet Op. 18 No. 6 In B Flat Major: La Malincolia: Adagio - Allegretto quasi Allegro

Tracks:

  1. 3 String Quartets Op. 59 ('Razumovsky') No. 1 In F Major: Allegro
  2. 3 String Quartets Op. 59 ('Razumovsky') No. 1 In F Major: Allegretto vivace e sempre scherzando
  3. 3 String Quartets Op. 59 ('Razumovsky') No. 1 In F Major: Adagio molto e mesto--attacca:
  4. 3 String Quartets Op. 59 ('Razumovsky') No. 1 In F Major: Theme russe: Allegro
  5. 3 String Quartets Op. 59 ('Razumovsky') No. 2 In E Minor: Allegro
  6. 3 String Quartets Op. 59('Razumovsky') No. 2 In E Minor: Molto Adagio: Si tratta questo pezzo con molto di sentimento
  7. 3 String Quartets Op. 59('Razumovsky') No. 2 In E Minor: Allegretto -- Maggiore (Theme russe)
  8. 3 String Quartets Op. 59('Razumovsky') No. 2 In E Minor: Finale: Presto

Tracks:

  1. 3 String Quartet 0p. 59 ('Razumovsky') No. 3 In C Major: Introduzione: Andante con moto - Allegro vivace
  2. 3 String Quartet 0p. 59 ('Razumovsky') No. 3 In C Major: Andante con moto quasi Allegretto.
  3. 3 String Quartet 0p. 59 ('Razumovsky') No. 3 In C Major: Menuetto grazioso -- attaca:
  4. 3 String Quartet 0p. 59 ('Razumovsky') No. 3 In C Major: Allegro molto
  5. Quartet In E Flat Major, Op. 74 ('Harp'): Poco Adagio -- Allegro
  6. Quartet In E Flat Major, Op. 74 ('Harp'): Adagio ma non troppo
  7. Quartet In E Flat Major, Op. 74 ('Harp'): Presto - Piu presto quasi pretissimo - attacca
  8. Quartet In E Flat Major, Op. 74 ('Harp'): Allegretto con Variazioni
  9. Quartet In F Minor, Op. 95 'Quartetto (O) serioso': Allegro con brio
  10. Quartet In F Minor, Op. 95 'Quartetto (O) serioso': Allegretto ma non troppo: attaca
  11. Quartet In F Minor, Op. 95 'Quartetto (O) serioso': Allegro assai vivace ma serioso
  12. Quartet In F Minor, Op. 95 'Quartetto (O) serioso': Larghetto espressivo -- Allegretto agitato -- Allegro

Tracks:

  1. Quartet In E Flat Major, Op. 127: Maestoso -- Allegro
  2. Quartet In E Flat Major, Op. 127: Adagio, ma non troppo e molto cantabile - Andante con moto - Adagio molto espressivo - Tempo I
  3. Quartet In E Flat Major, Op. 127: Scherzo: Vivace
  4. Quartet In E Flat Major, Op. 127: Allegro -- Allegro comodo
  5. Quartet In C Sharp Minor, Op. 131: Adagio, ma non troppe e molto espressivo - attaca
  6. Quartet In C Sharp Minor, Op. 131: Allegro molto vivace - attaca
  7. Quartet In C Sharp Minor, Op. 131: Allegro moderato - attaca
  8. Quartet In C Sharp Minor, Op. 131: Andante, ma non troppo e molto cantabile - Piu mosso - Andante moderato e lusinghiero - Adagio - Allegretto - Adagio, ma non troppo e semplice - Allegretto - attacca
  9. Quartet In C Sharp Minor, Op. 131: Presto - attaca
  10. Quartet In C Sharp Minor, Op. 131: Adagio quasi un poco andante - attaca
  11. Quartet In C Sharp Minor, Op. 131: Allegro

Tracks:

  1. Quartet In A Minor Op. 132: Assai sostenuto - Allegro
  2. Quartet In A Minor Op. 132: Allegro am non tanto
  3. Quartet In A Minor Op. 132: Andante - Molto adagio - Andante - Molto adagi: Mit innigster Empfindung
  4. Quartet In A Minor Op. 132: Alla marcia, assai vivace - Piu allegro - attaca
  5. Quartet In A Minor Op. 132: Allegro appassionato - Presto
  6. Quartet In F Major Op.135: Allegretto
  7. Quartet In F Major Op.135: Vivace
  8. Quartet In F Major Op.135: Lento assai, cantante e tranquillo
  9. Quartet In F Major Op.135: Grave, ma non troppo tanto - Allegro

Tracks:

  1. Quartet In B Flat Major, Op. 130: Adagio ma non troppo - Allegro
  2. Quartet In B Flat Major, Op. 130: Presto
  3. Quartet In B Flat Major, Op. 130: Andante con moto, ma non troppo
  4. Quartet In B Flat Major, Op. 130: Alla danza tedesca: Allegro assai
  5. Quartet In B Flat Major, Op. 130: Cavatina: Adagio molto espressivo
  6. Quartet In B Flat Major, Op. 130: Grosse Fuge (Op. 133) Overtura: Allegro - Meno mosso e Moderato - Allegro - Fuga: (Allegro) - Mino mosso e moderato - Allegro molto e con brio - Allegro
  7. Quartet In B Flat Major, Op. 130: Finale: Allegro

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Beethoven Mastery.......2007-04-20

A cornerstone of any comprehensive Beethoven recording collection, Deutsche Grammophon 's recording of the Emerson String Quartet performing Beethoven's string quartets not only possesses excellent sonic characteristics, but also proves to be a rich performance by one of the outstanding string quartets of this generation. The technical accuracy of the Emerson's performance, coupled with the recording mastery of DG, provides a rewarding listening experience for any Beethoven fan, and perhaps particularly so for those interested in studying Beethoven's efforts within the string quartet genre. If you are a student of string quartets in general and Beethoven in particular, or if you are just looking for a great recording of all of Beethoven's string quartets, this set will undoubtedly become a valuable addition to your collection. Like me, you'll also likely find that these recordings will bring you years of enjoyment as you work through each of these stunningly performed pieces by the Emerson String Quartet.

5 out of 5 stars An excellent collection for the Beethoven aficionado.......2006-08-22

The Emerson String Quartet combine a strength of performance at the same time giving the listener subtle shades of color producing one of the supreme recordings of Beethovens string quartets ever. They've almost done the unattainable, by producing a new approach to this old musical literature, while maintaining integrity. They bring a level of thought to these performances that have rarely been matched. Enthusiastic and sensitive interpretations rolled into one.

This box set (autographed by each member, thank you very much) is my favorite interpretation. The Budapest, Busch, Guarneri, Talich and Vegh quartets are also very good, but these provide technical brilliance and are faithful to the score, while being heartwarming and intellectually inspiring. Also, these are definitely not cold readings, but ecstatic one's. I found them refreshing and different, and still deeply moving and of course, thrill with excitement.

The main reason I recommend these recordings is because they're carefully edited performances, so well edited in fact, that I never heard a single edit, and I'm a headphone listener. They recorded many takes (versions) so that they (the Emersons & producer Max Wilcox) could cherry pick the best parts within each movement, creating "the magic take" or at least something very close. I also read that they'd like to enjoy hearing these recordings someday, without worrying...could we have done it better? Sure, they could have done the "one take" perfectly (I've seen them live), but perfect doesn't necessarily mean...magical. They utilized the recording studio for all it's worth. Bravo!

These musicians have obviously polished their form to a high level of refinement, and anyone interested in the string quartets of Beethoven would likely rate this set as a valuable addition to their collection.

Highly recommended.

3 out of 5 stars Trying to understand what the Emersons want to achieve.......2006-07-30

There's a new intent behind the Emerson's fast, unromantic readings of Beethoven. I don't know the status of Beethoven's metronome markings in the quartets (there were many works for which he left no exact metronome readings), but those for the symphonies are very fast--to the point that their speed seemed impossible for generations. It took a complete change of style, one that discards romantic lingering, nuance, and "deep" phrasing, before the music sounds right at extreme velocity.

The Emersons don't go all the way into period style. They employ vibrato, and they don't use hairpin dynamics, for example. Even so, they achieve their fleet readings by substituting different expressive techniques in place of romanticism: sharp attacks, springy rhythms that often dance in cut time, and a strong emphasis on counterpoint. At times we get a virtual x-ray of Beethoven's complex part writing.

All this seems terribly wrong if you can't adjust to their perspective. To a traditionalist, the Emerson's approach is like Beethoven without the Beethoven, a stylistic non-entity disguised with ear-catching virtuosity and precision. Yet in a world where we already have dozens of traditional Beethoven quartet cycles, the Emerson's set can be listened to as an experiment or a new hypothesis waiting for others to react. My rason for giving only three stars, frankly, is that I don't find enough variety here. Even if you decide to be novel, each quartet desdrves its own personality. Here, only personality fits all. Early, middle, or late, we hear one style of music-making, which ignores the evolution that Beethoven went thourgh over a lifteimte of struggle and innovation.

4 out of 5 stars Where's the Beef? It's a Great Cut.......2006-06-27

After listening to the Beethoven String Quartet cycle I wonder from where most of the negative comments regarding the Emersons come. These are both exciting to listen to and are technically and artistically sound. I won't say, however, that this Emerson String Quartet's production will be to everyone's liking. It is as usual a virtuoso performance performed a bit faster than others.

The quibble over tempo is just that. Some prefer a more upbeat tempo to a slower syrupy one. Both, however, can be well within the tempo markings of the piece. I do not find any of these quartets overly fast but I do find many other versions to be performed overly slow. If your "preferred style" is to have each note stretched out in order to savor the experience then I suggest you look elsewhere. At the price, most of us cannot afford to have several renditions sitting in our libraries.

Because of the vitrium displayed by some reviewers over this set as well as nearly every other Emerson CD sold by Amazon, I obtained copies of several versions of specific late quartets that other reviewers have recommended. I did like the Quartetto Italiano and Takacs as well. Putting this version below The Lindsays, however, may only show that the vitrium against the Emersons is actually most likely directed toward Deutschegrammophone and their high priced offerings.

For me, this album brings back the Beethoven I imagined. Fierce, fiery, tempestuous, and in your face.

I highly recommend this album even at the relatively steep price here. I also highly recommend that you listen to some of these side by side with other interpretations if possible. You may prefer the other more traditional interpretations. But if you have listened to other Emerson recordings and found you like their style, you won't be disappointed with these.

4 out of 5 stars GETTING THERE.......2005-10-21

This set divides opinion sharply, and I expect to satisfy nobody by sitting on the fence, as I honestly must. One criticism I have not noticed is that the Emersons take anything too slowly. My own impression, after taking my time over this set and playing a selection of alternatives, is that while they are generally fairly swift in allegros and prestos and don't dawdle over andantes and allegrettos, there are only 3 cases where their velocity seems likely to raise many eyebrows, namely the fugue in the 3rd Razumovsky and the outer movements of the F minor. I find them more or less exemplary in the first 10 quartets, Razumovsky fugue perhaps excepted. That accounts for 10 out of 16 (or 17 if the Grosse Fuge counts separately), which is not bad going at all. There is even one movement, the danza tedesca from op130, which is actually too slow for me.

One touchstone for how you are going to like or dislike this set comes with the very first phrase of the very first quartet. For some reason the first 3 quartets are given in the order 3,1,2, but I played them in their numeric sequence. The florid ornamental phrase at the start of the first quartet gave Beethoven trouble, and the Emersons despatch it with a gliding offhand ease that sets the scene for much else. Their technique is no doubt exceptional, but no quartet of technical slouches gets near a recording studio these days nor has done since the war, and the difference is only marginal. In the 60's there were a number of east European quartets with a particular affinity for Beethoven, and I own a selection of these. In the late quartets I have the Busches on vinyl, in remarkably good sound except for the F major; I have recently acquired the Razumovskys and the `Harp' from the Lindsays to mark their impending retirement, and these are the comparisons I have used. In the Razumovsky fugue the Emersons are unquestionably showing off, but the movement is marked `allegro molto', they are faster than the Lindsays (who should be a safe bet for anyone) by 17% or 18%, and I have no problem, although I expect to play the Lindsays more often. I have in mind readings by Richter of the finale of the Appassionata hurtled through by that great player in contempt of Beethoven's instruction not to do this, to my own disgust but to the obvious delight of many. In the circumstances I would not expect complaints when Beethoven says `allegro molto'. Otherwise tempi in the first 10 works seem unexceptional to me. Both the first movement and the adagio of the first Razumovsky are taken significantly faster than by the Lindsays, but the difference is only of the kind one finds between performances of similar movements by the major exponents of the sonatas.

Things turn more problematical from the F minor onwards. The first phrase of that is abrupt to the point of violence. I'm accustomed to greater decorum from the Hungarian Quartet, but Beethoven had a rough side to say the least and so far I can't make up my mind about the Emersons' approach. The last movement of this quartet was admired by Mendelssohn, and no wonder - he could almost have written it. The Emersons seem outstanding to me in Mendelssohn's quartets, and they seem outstanding to me here. I love the fast tempo, and the conclusion is a wonderful piece of Mendelssohnian gossamer. In the late quartets the Emersons do only one thing wrong for me - the danza tedesca in the B flat should ideally be a whirling waltz as the Busches give it, or if the players didn't want to do that they could have taken a hint from the Hungarians and flipped up the last beat of the first bar in each phrase. In the skeletal and awesome Grosse Fuge, where beauty is not part of the deal, the Emersons are as good as absolutely anyone, but I don't go along with sequencing this movement after the cavatina and stranding Beethoven's new finale after he changed his mind as an extra. This quartet is to a 6-movement format recalling the concerti grossi of Beethoven's revered Handel, and for all the Beethovenishness of the expression the shadow of Handel lies over it. Beethoven's original plan was to append a blockbuster finale, as Bach appended the chaconne to his D minor violin partita, but he decided to keep to a more Handelian model, as in any case the Grosse Fuge is viable as a freestanding work, and I see no reason to dispute his opinion.

The other late quartets are built round long slow movements containing some of the deepest and most beautiful music that any man ever wrote. There's absolutely nothing wrong with the way the Emersons express these, but I feel they perhaps have a little more living to do to allow music like this to sink into the depths of their souls, which is where it must penetrate before they can convey its real significance. Never let anyone tell you that the late quartets are obscure. They are clarity itself, and the roughness that is a barrier against coherence in some of Beethoven's middle-period works makes only one partial reappearance in the scherzo of the final quartet. The C# minor is an extended fantasia in 7 continuous movements or sections, although Professor Tovey, for whom the sonata form possessed a sacramental significance that would have made Beethoven laugh, tries to argue that the opening slow fugue and the pastorale following equate in some way to the function of his sonata form, that apparently increasing the significance of the music. The others are to the standard 4-movement format, although there is an introduction in the form of a short and very characteristic march to the finale of the A minor, as such a powerful piece should not be juxtaposed with the Lydian Song. All perfectly clear and perfectly wonderful. To hear what the Emersons have still to rise to, listen to the Lydian Song from the Busches. The main sections are absolutely immobile, and the ecstatic climax is beyond words. Again, the Emersons do very well with the andante of the C# minor, but the final variation with its `glory of trills' in Tovey's great phrase is not a patch on the Vlach Quartet's performance, nor is the finale, where the Vlachs surpass anyone I've ever heard. The lento of the last quartet doesn't have to be taken as slowly as the Busches do it, as the Janacek Quartet prove to me, but it would have done no harm either. And the climactic phrase in the cavatina of the B flat, again well and thoughtfully done by the Emersons, does not hit me in the solar plexus as it does from Adolf Busch.

The recording is excellent, and there is a lengthy and affectionate commentary. With the few exceptions I've mentioned, there is not much to criticise in this set in terms of taste or sense for the composer's style. The smooth glistening tone perhaps lacks a little in the way of variety, but I think that will come when they have internalised this great music in a few years' time. I shall make a point of living long enough to purchase their next set of the Beethoven quartets.
Beethoven: Complete String Quartets
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    		Beethoven: Complete String Quartets
    Juilliard String Quartet
    Manufacturer: Sbme Import
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    5. Complete String Quartets

    ASIN: B00006OA6A
    Release Date: 2002-11-11

    Tracks:

    1. 1-4 String Quartet No.1 In F Major, Op. 18 No.1
    2. 5-8 String Quartet No.2 In G Major, Op.18 No.2
    3. 9-12 String Quartet No.3 In D Major, Op.18 No.3
    4. 1-4 String Quartet No.4 In D Minor, Op. 18 No.3
    5. 5-8 String Quartet No.5 In A Major, Op.18 No.5
    6. 9-12 String Quartet No.6 In B-Flat Major, Op.18 No.6
    7. 1-4 String Quartet No.7 In F Major, Op.59 No.1
    8. 1-4 String Quartet No.8 In E Minor, Op.59 No.2
    9. 5-8 String Quartet No.9 In C Major, Op.59 No.3
    10. 1-4 String Quartet No.10 In E-Flat Major, Op. 74 "Harp"
    11. 5-8 String Quartet No.11 In F Minor Op.95
    12. 1-4 String Quartet No.12 In E-Flat Major, Op.127
    13. 5-11 String Quartet No.13 In C-Sharp Minor, Op. 131
    14. 1-7 String Quartet No.14 In B-Flat Major, Op. 130
    15. 1-5 String Quartet No.15 In A Minor, Op.132
    16. 6-9 String Quartet No.16 In F Major, Op. 135
    Beethoven: The String Quartets/ Grosse Fuge
    Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
    • The Guarneri Beethoven--A Transcendental Bargain
    • Studied, unyielding performances in badly dated sound
    • The Guarneri Quartet Plays Beethoven
    • A Treasure
    • The Guarneri Quartet does the best BEETHOVEN
    		 Beethoven: The String Quartets/ Grosse Fuge

    Manufacturer: RCA
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    5. Beethoven: Complete String Quartets

    ASIN: B00011MK6U
    Release Date: 2004-03-09

    Tracks:

    1. Allegro Con Brio
    2. Adagio Affettuoso Ed Appassionato
    3. Scherzo: Allegro Molto; Trio
    4. Allegro
    5. Allegro
    6. Adagio Cantabile; Allegro
    7. Scherzo: Allegro; Trio
    8. Allegro Molto Quasi Presto
    9. Allegro
    10. Andante Con Moto
    11. Allegro
    12. Presto

    Tracks:

    1. Allegro Ma Non Tanto
    2. Scherzo: Andante Scherzoso Quasi Allegretto
    3. Menuetto: Allegretto; Trio
    4. Allegro; Prestissimo
    5. Allegro
    6. Menuetto; Trio
    7. Andante Cantabile; Variazioni 1-5; Poco Adagio
    8. Allegro

    Tracks:

    1. Allegro Con Brio
    2. Adagio Ma Non Troppo
    3. Scherzo: Allegro; Trio
    4. La Malincolia: Adagio; Allegretto Quasi Allegro: Prestissimo
    5. Allegro
    6. Allegretto Vivace E Sempre Scherzando
    7. Adagio Molto E Mesto
    8. Theme Russe: Allegro

    Tracks:

    1. Allegro
    2. Molto Adagio
    3. Allegretto
    4. Finale: Presto
    5. Introduzione: Andante Con Moto; Allegro Vivace
    6. Andante Con Moto Quasi Allegretto
    7. Menuetto: Grazioso
    8. Allegro Molto

    Tracks:

    1. Poco Adagio Allegro
    2. Adagio Ma Non Troppo
    3. Presto: Piu Presto Quasi Prestissimo
    4. Allegretto Con Variazioni
    5. Allegro Con Brio
    6. Allegretto Ma Non Troppo
    7. Allegro Assai Vivace Ma Serioso
    8. Larghetto Espressivo; Allegretto Agitato

    Tracks:

    1. Assai Sostenuto; Allegro
    2. Allegro Ma Non Tanto
    3. Heiliger Dankgesang eines Genesenen An Die Gottheit, In Der Lydischen Tonart: Molto Adagio; Neue Kraft Fuhlend: Andante
    4. Alla Marcia, Assai Vivace
    5. Allegro Appassionato
    6. Grande Fugue Op.133

    Tracks:

    1. Adagio, Ma Non Troppo E Molto Espressivo
    2. Allegro Molto Vivace
    3. Allegro Moderato
    4. Andante, Ma Non Troppo E Molto Cantabile
    5. Presto
    6. Adagio Quasi Un Poco Andante
    7. Allegro
    8. Maestoso; Allegro
    9. Adagio; Ma Non Troppo E Molto Cantabile
    10. Scherzando Vivace: Presto
    11. Finale: Allegro Con Moto

    Tracks:

    1. Adagio, Ma Non Troppo; Allegro
    2. Presto
    3. Andante Con Moto, Ma Non Troppo
    4. Alla Danza Tedesca: Allegro Assai
    5. Cavatina: Adagio Molto Espressivo
    6. Finale: Allegro
    7. Allegretto
    8. Vivace
    9. Lento Assai, Cantante E Tranquillo
    10. Der Schwer Gefasste Entschluss: Frage, Ma Non Troppo Tratto; Allegro

    Customer Reviews:

    5 out of 5 stars The Guarneri Beethoven--A Transcendental Bargain.......2007-01-10

    It's been many years since I last attempted a journey through the complete Beethoven Quartets. I'm not sure if my musical tastes have matured that much or whether the playing by the Quarneri Quartet on RCA is that good, but they have now convinced me that these Beethoven Quartets are pieces that I will return to regularly for enjoyment. The Shostakovich Quartets still speak to me on a more personal level, and I still struggle to figure out the middle Bartok Quartets. The Beethoven set by the Alban Berg Quartet on EMI 73606 has served as a great complement to the Quarneri performances, and I now I can highly recommend either one (better both) of these unbelievable bargains to those wanting to better appreciate the Beethoven String Quartets.

    3 out of 5 stars Studied, unyielding performances in badly dated sound.......2006-01-12

    After a glorious decade of Living Stereo, RCA entered the Dynagroove era with some of the worst sound ever recorded by a major label. The Guarneri suffered badly from this--these Beethoven quartets sound dry, cramped, and charmless. I vividly remember the early excitement over this group. They were heirs to the intellectual style of quartet playing represented by the Budapest Quartet, and as individual musicians, these young graduates of Curtis, who also played every summer at Marlboro, were pre-anointed.

    Now the picture is rather different. The Guarneri remains a top-flght group, but they haven't turned into resplendent artists (a TV film documentary from the late Nineties shows that they are thoroughly sick of each other personaly; some members barely speak outside rehearsal.) Their Beethoven doesn't sing and is much too studied. Beethoven quartets must communicate several things at once, and the Guarneri are excellent at some of them: ensemble, individual technique, serious purpose, classical balance. But without spontaneity and inspiration, those qualities lie on fallow ground. One minute of exposure to the Alban Berg's live Beethoven cycle on EMI (not caught in the best sound, either) reveals how much more joyful and singing these great works can be. At the risk of offending the Guarneri's many fans, these readings only go halfway to the mark.

    5 out of 5 stars The Guarneri Quartet Plays Beethoven.......2005-08-18

    I recently spent several days at home recovering from minor surgery and took the opportunity to revist the Beethoven string quartets and the Beethoven piano sonatas. I thought the quartets would be especially appropriate to hear in recovering from surgery. I looked forward particularly to revisiting the "Holy Song of Thanksgiving to the Deity by a Convalscent,in the Lydian Mode", the third movement of the opus 132 quartet which Beethoven wrote when he recovered from an illness far worse than that which plagued me. There is, perhaps, a similar feeling expressed in the slow, hymnlike movement of the second Razumovsky Quartet, opus 59 no.2.

    Hearing the music made me appreciate not only my health but also the opportunities I have enjoyed to get to know the quartets. Many years ago, I first heard the quartets live played by the Fine Arts Quartet when it was the quartet-in-residence at the University of Wisconsin -- Milwaukee. I subsequently acquired the Fine Arts Quartet's excellent recording of the entire cycle. Then, while living in Washington D.C. for thirty years, I have had many opportunities to hear the Juilliard String Quartet, and other ensembles, perform the Beethoven quartets at the Library of Congress, probably the best musical venue in what is a musical capital city.

    To rehear the quartets, I chose a recent reissue of the cycle by the Guarneri Quartet. I have never heard the Guarneri's live before, even though the quartet is in residence at the nearby University of Maryland. The group has been playing together since 1965 and is deservedly revered. The ensemble plays with a lyrical, songlike and expressive character, with a flow, a grace, and a feel of gemuitlicheit that brought me new insights into this music. It is an outstanding recording of the quartet cycle. In a detailed review of the Guarneri's performance of the cycle on MusicWeb, Paul Shoemaker justly wrote that "If there's a better version of these quartets, I've not heard it."

    As do the piano sonatas, Beethoven's 16 quartets allow the listener to experience the development and deepening of his style from his early period, to the period of maturity, to the final works at the end of his life. But the quartets are evenly divided between Beethoven's three major compositional periods while the piano sonatas are somewhat weighted towards the composer's earlier years. In addition, Beethoven composed his quartets in three rather continuous blocks, giving each group a distinctive character, while the piano sonatas were written more continuously in Beethoven's career and tend to meld and flow more easily from one period to another.

    In recovering from an illness, I thought while listening of how the quartets deal in their different ways with human pain. Beethoven composed his first series of six quartets, opus 18, as a young man in his late 20s who was full of hope and optimism, aware of his extraordinary gifts and of his ability to realize them in his music. These works are in the style of Haydn and Mozart but show a Beethoven intent on developing a voice of his own. They are optimistic, powerful works full of confidence but with hints of sadness and depths in the slow movement of the first quartet and in the "La Malinconia" section of the fourth movement of the sixth quartet. In my listening, I spent more time revisiting this first group of quartets than I had anticipated.

    The second group of quartets include the three "Razumovsky" quartets of opus 59 written in 1806 together with the "Harp" and "Serioso" quartets written somewhat later. These are large, inspiring works from Beethoven's "heroic" period and the best known of his quartets. They show a composer who has known difficulty and disappointment, in his growing deafness, his health, and in his failure to form a lasting loving and sexual relationship with a woman, who tries to overcome his problems through strength, hope and will. These are large-scale inspiring works. I spent most of my time in this group with the second quartet of opus 59, with the poignant slow movement of the third quarted of opus 59 and, surprisingly, with the radiant lyricism of the "harp" quartet, opus 74.

    Beethoven's final compositions consist of the last five quartets, opus nos. 127, 130, 131, 132, 135, together with the "Great Fugue" opus 133. This is deep and complex music in which Beethoven moves beyond suffering and struggle to various forms of recognition and acceptance. In rehearing this music as played by the Guarneri Quartet, I was taken by its lyricism, the many songs, dances, and marches in these quartets interlaced with the more forbidding fugues. The Guarneri Quartet has the rare virtue of not taking itself too seriously. I have already mentioned the "Hymn of Thanksgiving" in the opus 132 quartet. I also listened a great deal to the opus 127 quartet, which opens with inspiring chords and is a mixture of the resolute and the reflective, and to the final quartet, opus 135. This is the shortest quartet of the final five and shows Beethoven finding his answer to human suffering in the form of comedy and laughter rather than tragedy (think of the laughing Buddha). I also thought about the ending Beethoven wrote, after completing opus 135, to replace the "Great Fugue" in opus 130. It seemed to me that he had acted wisely and correctly by bringing this quartet to a light, almost comedic, conclusion.

    It is not a pleasant experience to be in recovery, but I was grateful for the opportunity to hear the Guarneri Quartet and to revisit the Beethoven string quartets. This is music that speaks to the heart of listeners at different times and stages of life. I suggest that listeners coming to the quartets for the first time (or after many times) also read a good overview to Beethoven's life and music. I recommend Lewis Lockwood's "Beethoven: The Music and the Life" (2003). This study places Beethoven's achievement in its historical and musical context and includes lengthy treatments of each of the three groups of string quartets.

    Robin Friedman

    5 out of 5 stars A Treasure.......2004-07-24

    Beethoven like it's never played anymore. This is old world quartet playing -- warm, detailed phrasing and an emphasis on tonal beauty. Rather than choosing one blazing tempo and plowing head first through a movement (Emerson, Alban Berg Quartets), the Guarneri utilize a wider dynamic range. They are not afraid to slow down to bring out detail and drama, or speed up to get the blood pumping (the last mvt of op59-3 is the fastest of the 11 versions I have).

    The sound quality is superb, one of the best quartet cds I have ever heard. I agree with the reviewer below, it sounds like the players are in your living room. These are late 1960s recordings that RCA originally released on CD in the late 80s on their Gold Seal label. I am aware that many complained about the sound quality of the earlier release. However, this release has been newly remastered in 2003 using 20 bit technology and the results are astounding. Indeed, if you have the older CDs, you may want to buy this one as a replacement. Enjoy.

    5 out of 5 stars The Guarneri Quartet does the best BEETHOVEN.......2004-04-30

    I have always loved the Guarneri Quartets Beethoven recordings of the 1960s.
    Believe me it is a crowded field out there with a lot of wonderful versions, but I've always thought their interpretations were as good if not better than the Quartetto, Lindsey, Italiano, Vegh, Talich or Medici versions. I have found that the Guarneri Quartet has provided an outstanding escort to these wonderful journeys, the genuine straightforwardness of their playing along with their unrivaled execution, and rich intonation helps to make the Beethoven quartets a extremely poignant experience every time I hear them. In a word, these performances are close to perfection. The Guarneri Quartet really understand what the music is about, they are playing more than just the notes.
    The recordings are good (thanks to engineer Richard Gardner) and with the fantastic re-mastering job, the recordings now sound superb, with excellent presence and definition. The instruments are closely miked and the sound is nice and dry (it sounds like they are playing in your living room) so that the performances can be fully enjoyed. These recordings are vibrant and exciting! Even the CD layout has been improved so that the great Opus 127 is no longer split over two discs.
    Instead of three sets, totaling nine discs and costing well over one hundred, it has been condensed to one complete slim line box set with eight discs and costing about half the price!

    Highly recommend!!
    Beethoven: String Quartets - Borodin String Quartet (4 CDs)
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      		Beethoven: String Quartets - Borodin String Quartet (4 CDs)

      Manufacturer: EMI Classics
      ProductGroup: Music
      Binding: Audio CD

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      ASIN: B000090WCC
      Release Date: 2003-02-10

      Tracks:

      1. I Allegro
      2. II Allegretto Vivace E Sempre Scherzando
      3. III Adagio Molto E Mesto
      4. IV Theme Russe: Allegro
      5. I Introduzione: Andante Con Moto - Allegro Vivace
      6. II Andante Con Moto - Allegro Vivace
      7. III Menuetto: Grazioso
      8. IV Allegro Molto

      Tracks:

      1. I Allegro Con Brio
      2. II Allegretto Ma Non Troppo
      3. III Allegro Assai Ma Serioso - Piu Allegro
      4. IV Larghetto Espressivo - Allegro Agitato - Allegro
      5. I Assai Sostenuto - Allegro
      6. II Allegro Ma Non Tanto
      7. III Molto Adagio, Andante ('Heiliger Dankgesang Eines Genesenen An Die Gottheit, In Der Lydischen Tonart'
      8. IV Alla Marcia, Assai Vivace - Piu Allegro
      9. V Allegro Appassionato

      Tracks:

      1. I Allegro Ma Non Tanto
      2. II Scherzo: Andante Scherzoso Quasi Allegretto
      3. III Menuetto: Allegretto
      4. IV Allegro - Prestissimo
      5. I Allegro
      6. II Menuetto
      7. III Andante Cantabile
      8. IV Allegro

      Tracks:

      1. I Adagio Ma Non Troppo - Allegro
      2. II Presto
      3. III Andante Con Moto, Ma Non Troppo
      4. IV Alla Danza Tedesca (Allegro Assai)
      5. V Cavatina (Adagio Molto Espressivo)
      6. Grosse Fuge In B Flat Major, Op. 133
      7. VI Finale (Allegro)
      Beethoven: The String Quartets
      Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
      • Technically flawless, but lacking emotionally
      • Charming performances, good sound, budget packaging
      • Stay away from this cycle
      • Beethoven: The String Quartets
      • Simply The Best Ever Recording of Beethoven String Quartets
      		 Beethoven: The String Quartets

      Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
      ProductGroup: Music
      Binding: Audio CD

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      ASIN: B00002DEH2
      Release Date: 2000-10-10

      Tracks:

      1. String Quartet In F Major, Op. 18 No. 1: Allegro con brio
      2. String Quartet In F Major, Op. 18 No. 1: Adagio affettuoso ed appassionato
      3. String Quartet In F Major, Op. 18 No. 1: Scherzo. Allegro molto
      4. String Quartet In F Major, Op. 18 No. 1: Allegro
      5. String Quartet In G Major, Op. 18 No.2: Allegro
      6. String Quartet In G Major, Op. 18 No.2: Adagio cantabile - Allegro - Tempo I
      7. String Quartet In G Major, Op. 18 No.2: Scherzo. Allegro
      8. String Quartet In G Major, Op. 18 No.2: Allegro molto quasi Presto
      9. String Quartet In D Major, Op. 18 No.3: Allegro
      10. String Quartet In D Major, Op. 18 No.3: Andante con moto
      11. String Quartet In D Major, Op. 18 No.3: Allegro
      12. String Quartet In D Major, Op. 18 No.3: Presto

      Tracks:

      1. String Quartet In C Minor, Op. 18 No. 4: Allegro ma non tanto
      2. String Quartet In C Minor, Op. 18 No. 4: Scherzo. Andante scherzoso quasi Allegretto
      3. String Quartet In C Minor, Op. 18 No. 4: Menuetto. Allegretto
      4. String Quartet In C Minor, Op. 18 No. 4: Allegro - Prestissimo
      5. String Quartet In A Major, Op. 18 No. 5: Allegro
      6. String Quartet In A Major, Op. 18 No. 5: Menuetto
      7. String Quartet In A Major, Op. 18 No. 5: Andante cantabile. Thema - Variationen I-V - Coda. Poco Adagio
      8. String Quartet In A Major, Op. 18 No. 5: Allegro
      9. String Quartet In B Flat Major, Op. 18 No. 6: Allegro con brio
      10. String Quartet In B Flat Major, Op. 18 No. 6: Adagio ma non troppo
      11. String Quartet In B Flat Major, Op. 18 No. 6: Scherzo. Allegro
      12. String Quartet In B Flat Major, Op. 18 No. 6: La Malinconia. Adagio - Allegretto quasi Allegro

      Tracks:

      1. String Quartet In F Major, Op. 59 No.1: Allegro
      2. String Quartet In F Major, Op. 59 No.1: Allegretto vivace e sempre scherzando
      3. String Quartet In F Major, Op. 59 No.1: Adagio molto e mesto - attacca
      4. String Quartet In F Major, Op. 59 No.1: Theme russe. Allegro
      5. String Quartet In E Minor, Op. 59 No.2: Allegro
      6. String Quartet In E Minor, Op. 59 No.2: Molto Adagio. Si tratta questo pezzo con molto di sentimento
      7. String Quartet In E Minor, Op. 59 No.2: Allegretto
      8. String Quartet In E Minor, Op. 59 No.2: Finale. Presto

      Tracks:

      1. String Quartet In C Major, Op. 59 No.3: Introduzione. Andante con moto - Allegro vivace
      2. String Quartet In C Major, Op. 59 No.3: Andante con moto quasi Allegretto
      3. String Quartet In C Major, Op. 59 No.3: Menuetto. Grazioso - attacca:
      4. String Quartet In C Major, Op. 59 No.3: Allegro molto
      5. String Quartet In E Flat Major, Op. 74 'Harp': Poco Adagio - Allegro
      6. String Quartet In E Flat Major, Op. 74 'Harp': Adagio ma non troppo
      7. String Quartet In E Flat Major, Op. 74 'Harp': Presto - attacca:
      8. String Quartet In E Flat Major, Op. 74 'Harp': Allegretto con Variazioni

      Tracks:

      1. String Quartet In F Minor, Op. 95: Allegro con brio
      2. String Quartet In F Minor, Op. 95: Allegretto ma non troppo - attacca:
      3. String Quartet In F Minor, Op. 95: Allegro assai vivace ma serioso
      4. String Quartet In F Minor, Op. 95: Larghetto espressivo - Allegretto agitato
      5. String Quartet In E Flat Major, Op. 127: Maestoso - Allegro
      6. String Quartet In E Flat Major, Op. 127: Adagio, ma non troppo e molto cantabile - Andante con moto - Adagio molto espressivo
      7. String Quartet In E Flat Major, Op. 127: Scherzando vivace - Presto
      8. String Quartet In E Flat Major, Op. 127: Finale
      9. Great Fugue In B Flat Major, Op. 133: Overtura. Allegro - Fuga:
      10. Great Fugue In B Flat Major, Op. 133: Meno mosso e moderato
      11. Great Fugue In B Flat Major, Op. 133: Allegro molto e con brio
      12. Great Fugue In B Flat Major, Op. 133: Meno mosso e moderato
      13. Great Fugue In B Flat Major, Op. 133: Allegro molto e con brio
      14. Great Fugue In B Flat Major, Op. 133: Allegro

      Tracks:

      1. String Quartet In B Flat Major, Op. 130: Adagio ma non troppo - Allegro
      2. String Quartet In B Flat Major, Op. 130: Presto
      3. String Quartet In B Flat Major, Op. 130: Andante con moto, ma non troppo
      4. String Quartet In B Flat Major, Op. 130: Alla danza tedesca. Allegro assai
      5. String Quartet In B Flat Major, Op. 130: Cavatina. Adagio molto espressivo - attacca:
      6. String Quartet In B Flat Major, Op. 130: Finale. Allegro
      7. String Quartet In C Sharp Minor, Op. 131: Adagio, ma non troppo e molto espressivo - attacca:
      8. String Quartet In C Sharp Minor, Op. 131: Allegro molto vivace - attacca:
      9. String Quartet In C Sharp Minor, Op. 131: Allegro moderato - attacca:
      10. String Quartet In C Sharp Minor, Op. 131: Andante, ma non troppo e molto cantabile - Andante moderato e lusinghiero - Adagio - Allegretto - Adagio, ma non troppo e semplice - Allegretto
      11. String Quartet In C Sharp Minor, Op. 131: Presto - Molto poco adagio - attacca:
      12. String Quartet In C Sharp Minor, Op. 131: Adagio quasi un poco andante - attacca:
      13. String Quartet In C Sharp Minor, Op. 131: Allegro

      Tracks:

      1. String Quartet In A Minor, Op. 132: Assai sostenuto - Allegro
      2. String Quartet In A Minor, Op. 132: Allegro ma non tanto
      3. String Quartet In A Minor, Op. 132: Heiliger Dankgesang eines Genesenden an die Gottheit, in der lydischen Tonart. Molto adagio - Neue Kraft fuhlend. Andante - Molto adagio - Andante - Molto adagio. Mit innigster Empfindung
      4. String Quartet In A Minor, Op. 132: Alla marcia, assai vivace - Piu allegro - attacca:
      5. String Quartet In A Minor, Op. 132: Allegro appassionato
      6. String Quartet In F Major, Op. 135: Allegretto
      7. String Quartet In F Major, Op. 135: Vivace
      8. String Quartet In F Major, Op. 135: Lento assai e cantante tranquillo
      9. String Quartet In F Major, Op. 135: Der schwer gefaBte EntschluB. Grave (MuB es sein?) - Allegro (Es muB sein!) - Grave, ma non troppo tratto - Allegro

      Customer Reviews:

      4 out of 5 stars Technically flawless, but lacking emotionally.......2007-03-29

      I recently rented a copy of this set from the library just to see how the Amadeus quartet managed it...I have some of their other recordings, including their Brahms chamberworks survey, the complete Mozart quartets, selections of Haydn's late quartets, and a great version of Dvorak's "American". Having thoroughly enjoyed their playing on these other discs, I figured it couldn't hurt to sample their Beethoven. Well, I should have known better...I disliked this set for the exact same reasons I enjoyed their work with Mozart and Haydn - the performances felt overly smooth and overall lacking in terms of feeling. A great example of this would be the opening movement of Op. 130, at about the 1min. mark, when the allegro kicks in - it just sounds calculated and contrived to me.

      I feel this way about a lot of sections (Op. 59 no. 3, finale, Op. 59 no. 2 Scherzo, Op. 74 intro, many of the late quartets) - similarly to my criticisms of Quartetto Italiano - where the overly glossy sheen detracts from the inherent conflict in the works, especially in the middle quartets. That being said, this approach really helps for the 6 quartets Op. 18, these actually being the best renditions I've heard.

      One positive note amidst my criticisms: Beethoven's musical architecture is clearly audible here and very transparent (unlike Italiano, who sacrifice symmetry in favor of warm, genial sound). Still, if you are buying this set for the famous Middle and Late quartets, there are numerous better options available to you: the Takacs quartet (amazing), Talich quartet (a great budget set-really a great set at any price), Alban Berg (a tour-de-force in technique) and the Lindsay quartet (not as techincally sound, but warm & passionate readings).

      A note about recording quality: not great. The lead violin is at times obnoxiously whiny and overbearing, and the cello is very quiet, though still audible.

      To sum up - these performances are a good example of the polished, smooth performances of the 50s - 60s, and are a good reference as such. But other ensembles have had far more insightful approaches to these masterworks than the Amadeus quartet did, such as the Budapest quartet readings (also older recordings). Not bad as a budget set, but there are better alternatives out there.

      4 out of 5 stars Charming performances, good sound, budget packaging.......2007-02-21

      I have little to add to the positive reviews below. The performances are inspired. And listening on audiophile headphones with a dedicated headphone amplifier, I find the recording quality to be quite good, especially considering the age of these recordings. (These performances were originally recorded in the early 1960s.)

      The packaging consists of a clamshell cardboard box containing the discs, which are in individual paper sleeves. There is a fair booklet of essays about the compositions. This is certainly budget packaging, but at least it doesn't take up incredible volumes of space to house the seven CDs.

      As this CD set is currently discounted as part of Amazon's "classical blowout," it's hard to beat the value. Enjoy!

      1 out of 5 stars Stay away from this cycle.......2007-02-18

      These recordings have aged very badly. These are the most terrible performances of Beethoven's quartets I've ever heard, played without any heart, and no respect for Beethoven's markings. Worst of all the DG sound quality is one of their most unpleasant, so dry and unflattering that the high violin is painful to the ears. The Amadeus Quartet should have stuck to Mozart and Haydn.

      As another reviewer on Amazon.co.uk states:

      "The quartets were recorded in stages during the early 1960's. As such, they do not stand up to modern state of the art recordings. This disappointed me. I wanted to have the glory of Beethoven wrapped in a sumptuous wave of audiophile quality. These are period recordings and you can tell. They would have been acceptable in their day, but not now. The sound is brittle and one-dimensional, lacking the depth and warmth of wooden stringed instruments. At times, the higher registers of the lead violin are penetrating and harsh. The cello is barely discernible and only makes its presence felt during bouts of heavy bowing. It is generally difficult to separate the four instruments, thus spoiling a major reason for enjoying such pieces. Recent listening to Radio 3's lunchtime concerts has demonstrated how these string quartets should sound, ignoring individual interpretations. Some discs are better than others, but overall fall well short of modern standards."

      Here's what Gramophone magazine said of these performances:

      "In Beethoven they were at their best in the early quartets, which had a freshness and unaffected naturalness showing them in the finest light. But, in retrospect, the same smooth approach to the middle and later quartets brings an element of blandness. The Adagio of the first Razumovsky Quartet is very beautiful on the surface, the playing undoubtedly concentrated, but one senses a missing dimension. There is surely a greater depth in the music than they discover, and the same comment applies to the opening of the Harp Quartet, with its dramatic strokes somehow sounding calculated."

      This set contains some of the cheapest packaging around with cardboard sleeves that scratch the CDs. The box wears very quickly and can't be replaced unless you buy another set, which I obviously don't recommend.

      Buy the Takacs, Lindsays, or Emerson versions instead, as they're in are class of their own.

      5 out of 5 stars Beethoven: The String Quartets.......2007-01-10

      This is an affordable reissue of the Amadeus Quartet's classic recordings of the complete Beethoven string quartets. The music is essential to any collection of chamber music, and the performances of the late quartets, perhaps the finest string quartets ever written, are beautifully done. The performance of the A minor Quartet (opus 132) is especially moving. The quality of the recording is quite good for a budget-priced reissue, and the interpretations of the music by the Amadeus Quartet are outstanding.

      5 out of 5 stars Simply The Best Ever Recording of Beethoven String Quartets.......2006-02-16

      I grew up listening to many different recordings of this acclaimed Beethoven Cycle. I have admired Alban Berg Quartet (live EMI), Tokyo String Quartet and Guarneri Quartet recordings, but the warmth of the Amadeus Quartet sound in this recording and their interpretation is truly astonishing. I recommend this to anyone who really wants to understand the depth and complexity of possibly Beethoven best compositions.
      Beethoven: Key to the Quartets / Emerson String Quartet
      Average customer rating: Not rated
        		Beethoven: Key to the Quartets / Emerson String Quartet

        Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
        ProductGroup: Music
        Binding: Audio CD

        QuartetsQuartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
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        All Works by BeethovenAll Works by Beethoven | Beethoven, Ludwig van | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
        Emerson String QuartetEmerson String Quartet | ( E ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
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        5. Dvorák, Tchaikovsky, Borodin: Quartets

        ASIN: B0000041KW
        Release Date: 1997-03-11

        Tracks:

        1. Op. 18, No. 4: I. Allegro
        2. Op. 18, No. 1: II. Adagio
        3. Op. 18, No. 5: II. Menuetto
        4. Op. 59, No. 3, 'Razumovsky': IV. Finale
        5. Op. 74, 'Harp': I. Adagio - Allegro
        6. Op. 95, 'Serioso': I. Allegro
        7. Op. 132: III. Heiliger Dankgesang
        8. Op. 130: II. Presto
        9. Op. 130: IV. Alla danza tedesca
        10. Op. 130: V. Cavatina
        11. Op. 135: IV. Finale
        Beethoven: String Quartets Opus 18 Nos 1 & 4 /Quatuor Mosaiques
        Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
        • The best
        • Superb Early Beethoven Quartets
        		 Beethoven: String Quartets Opus 18 Nos 1 & 4 /Quatuor Mosaiques

        Manufacturer: Astree
        ProductGroup: Music
        Binding: Audio CD

        QuartetsQuartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
        GeneralGeneral | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
        All Works by BeethovenAll Works by Beethoven | Beethoven, Ludwig van | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
        Chamber MusicChamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
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        Similar Items:
        1. Beethoven: String Quartets Opus 18 Nos. 5 & 6
        2. Beethoven: String Quartets Opus 18 Nos. 2 & 3
        3. Haydn: String Quartets Op 64 Nos 2, 4, 5 /Quatuor Mosaiques
        4. Mozart: String Quartets /Quatuor Mosaiques
        5. Haydn: String Quartets Op 64 Nos 1, 3, 6 /Quatuor Mosaiques

        ASIN: B0009275TI
        Release Date: 2005-06-21

        Customer Reviews:

        5 out of 5 stars The best .......2007-03-16

        This is the best performance of this music I have ever heard.

        5 out of 5 stars Superb Early Beethoven Quartets.......2005-06-28

        'A paradox, a paradox, a most ingenious paradox.' -- W. S. Gilbert, 'Pirates of Penzance'

        I don't quite understand how this happens, but these performances of two of Beethoven's early quartets done by Quatuor Mosaïques on gut-strung instruments from the 17th and 18th centuries somehow sound more modern, more advanced than when played on modern instruments. One is used to hearing them played by modern-instrument quartets like the Emerson or the Takács Quartets and they sound quaint, Haydnesque, classical. In the present performances they sound dramatic, forward-looking and proto-Romantic. And, might I add, much more interesting. Obviously that is partly because Quatuor Mosaïques is a superb ensemble, but then so are the Emerson and the Takács. So, how to explain it? I think it has something to do with the SOUND of the instruments, softer, more rounded, more subtle, that is inherently more romantic in timbre than the clear-as-a-bell and almost clinical sound of 'modern' instruments. Whatever the explanation, these performances are, for me, revelatory.

        Added to that is the discovery that pairing Op. 18, No. 1 with Op. 18, No. 4 points out their contrasts neatly. No. 1 is nominally in a major key (F major), No. 4 in minor (C minor). But No. 1 has a minor key movement (the Adagio affettuoso ed appassionato), No. 4 has one in the major (the Andante scherzoso). Beethoven's sketchbooks reveal that he labored long and hard on the No. 1 -- there are a total of fifteen pages devoted to polishing the little one-measure theme of Mvt. I and its working out. But there are no sketches at all for No. 4; it's as if Beethoven had written it out in a flash, like Mozart had done with so many of his works. Yet, No. 1 sounds like a brilliant improvisation and No. 4 has such a complex form and working out that it sounds like the end result of complicated effort on Beethoven's part. A paradox, a paradox.

        These performances are simply superb. I have not generally been a fan of original instrument string quartet performances, at least in the early days, but the Quatuor Mosaïques seems head and shoulders above other similar groups. The members -- violins Erich Höbarth and Andrea Bischof, viola Anita Mitterer, and cello Christophe Coin -- met when they were all members of Nikolaus Harnoncourt's Concentus Musicus Wien, forming the quartet in 1989. They have risen to the top of their original-instrument category and indeed are among the finest quartets currently before the public. Their tuning is nigh perfect as is their ensemble. They play as one, and their musicianship is impeccable. They have been afforded lifelike sound by recording engineer Philip Nedel and producers Hervé Boissière and Helmut Muhle. Recorded in the Grafenegg Schloss 'Alte Reitschule' in Austria, the surround ambience gives them a natural aura.

        They have already recorded the other four quartets of Op. 18, and I have Nos. 4 & 6 in my review queue. I have not acquired Nos. 2 and 3, but undoubtedly, because of the quality of this disc, will do so.

        Urgently recomended, even to those who have multiple recordings of these quartets.

        TT=55:32

        Scott Morrison
        Beethoven: String Quartets, Op. 18
        Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
        • Great Recording! But who really needs another Beethoven cycle?
        • a fresh take on beethoven...
        		 Beethoven: String Quartets, Op. 18
        Miro Quartet , and Ludwig van Beethoven
        Manufacturer: Vanguard Classics
        ProductGroup: Music
        Binding: Audio CD

        QuartetsQuartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
        GeneralGeneral | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
        All Works by BeethovenAll Works by Beethoven | Beethoven, Ludwig van | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
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        ASIN: B000A1IOIO
        Release Date: 2005-08-23

        Tracks:

        1. Quartet No. 1 in F major: Allegro con brio
        2. Adagio affetusoso ed appassionato
        3. Scherzo: Allegro molto
        4. Allegro
        5. Quartet No. 2 in G: Allegro
        6. Adagio cantabile
        7. Scherzo: Allegro
        8. Allegro molto, quasi Presto
        9. Quartet No. 3 in D major: Allegro
        10. Andante con moto
        11. Allegro
        12. Presto

        Tracks:

        1. Quartet No. 4 in C Minor: Allegro ma non tanto
        2. Andante scherzoso quasi Allegretto
        3. Menuetto: Allegro
        4. Allegro
        5. Quartet No. 5 in A Major: Allegro
        6. Menuetto
        7. Andante cantabile
        8. Allegro
        9. Quartet No. 6 in B-flat Major: Allegro con brio
        10. Adagio ma non troppo
        11. Scherzo: Allegro
        12. La Malinconia: Adagio Allegretto quasi Allegro

        Album Description

        Beethoven's complete early string quartets, Opus 18, performed by the Miro Quartet.

        Customer Reviews:

        5 out of 5 stars Great Recording! But who really needs another Beethoven cycle?.......2005-12-11

        The Miro Quartet certainly brings the noise on this excellent recording of the opus 18 quartets. That being said, while they are great pieces, I'm tired of the opus 18 quartets. I'm looking forward to their late quartets, as you know that they will do a lot more than merely phone in the funk on the Grosse Fugue.

        5 out of 5 stars a fresh take on beethoven..........2005-10-09

        I initially found it a little strange that of all the string quartet literature available, the Miro had decided on the Beethoven op. 18 SQs. There have already been so many recordings, but somehow the quartet has managed to convince even me, not a huge fan of Beethoven in general, into loving these works. Miro plays with a kind of freakish technical accuracy (even in live performance), but still brings a huge palette of colors and fresh musical ideas to these often recorded and performed quartets. Pay special attention to No. 1 and No. 4.

        I highly recommend seeing them play live (as I'm sure Beethoven will make up a staple of their rep for the year), just to see the commanding, yet approachable presence they have as a group on the stage. For students especially, it's a great lesson in chamber music without ever picking up your instrument! All in all, the new CD is a gem, but coming from Miro, I wouldn't expect anything less.
        Beethoven: String Quartets, Op. 18/1-3
        Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
        • Sublime Musicianship
        • Strong and Lively
        		 Beethoven: String Quartets, Op. 18/1-3

        Manufacturer: Telarc
        ProductGroup: Music
        Binding: Audio CD

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        ASIN: B000003D0L
        Release Date: 2003-11-25

        Tracks:

        1. I. Allegro Con Brio
        2. II. Adagio Affettuoso Ed Appassionato
        3. III. Scherzo: Allegro Molto; Trio
        4. IV. Allegro
        5. I. Allegro
        6. II. Adagio Cantabile
        7. III. Scherzo: Allegro; Trio
        8. IV. Allegro Molto, Quasi Presto
        9. I. Allegro
        10. II. Andante Con Moto
        11. III. Allegro
        12. IV. Presto

        Customer Reviews:

        5 out of 5 stars Sublime Musicianship.......2006-04-23

        I have listened to CDs of Beethoven's quartets by four different groups: Alban Berg, Julliard, Kodaly, and Cleveland. They are all excellent. However, if the other quartets all deserve five stars out of five, then the Cleveland Quartet ("CQ") deserves a sixth star. All four groups play together seamlessly and capture all of the energy and passion of Beethoven, but the CQ also has an extra touch of lyrical magic and smooth refinement in the quality of their performance. The musicians perform with an elegance as smooth as silk, while also capturing the liveliness and intensity of the quartets' allegro movements.

        I have listened to this CD many times and thoroughly enjoyed it every time. In the allegro, scherzo, and presto movements there is a wonderful interaction between the violins and viola, playing the melody, and the cello, providing strong rhythm and anchoring the melody while, at the same time, playing in opposition to it and at other times also playing the melody; the instruments are very distinct and play both with and against each other in a perfect blend of harmony and, in the more rapid passages, a flawless tension that beautifully conveys the passion and energy in the music.

        In the adagio and andante movements, all of the wonderful passion in the ebb and flow of these movements are present together with exquisite tenderness and lyricism, all conveyed with the CQ's love for these quartets, as well as their technical brilliance, that makes listening to this music an absolute joy. The Adagio Affettuoso ed Appassionato of Quartet, Op. 18, No. 1, with its changes in tempo and rising and falling moments, alternating between relaxation and sudden intensity, is a radiant musical gem.

        The sound quality of this digital recording made in September of 1993 and May of 1994 is superbly clear, rich, and full, and evokes for me the impression of highly polished wood, like the wood of the superb instruments played by these incredibly talented musicians: William Preucil plays a Stradivarious violin from 1701; Peter Salaff, a J.B. Guadegnini violin from 1783; James Dunham, a Gaspar da Salo viola from 1585; and Paul Katz, an Andrea Guarneri cello from 1669.

        The CD booklet is well-written and informative, with a lengthy, detailed essay on each of the two quartets on this CD. The essay is in English, with a German and French translation, followed by a separate, detailed essay (only in English) on the CQ. The CD booklet even includes on the final page some very detailed technical information regarding the microphones, console, digital recording processor, microphone & interconnecting cables, monitor speakers, power amplifiers, and even the control room acoustic treatement and digital editing.

        Given the exceptional quality of the sound engineering on this CD, as with the vast majority of Telarc CDs, the detailed technical information is understandable. Surely, everyone involved in making this outstanding recording, from the musicians to the sound engineers, had every reason to be proud of this accomplishment. Out of several hundred classical music CD's, I would select the Cleveland Quartet's recordings of all of the Beethoven Quartets, including these two late quartets, as amongst my very best, "desert island" CDs. This CD has my highest recommendation.

        5 out of 5 stars Strong and Lively.......2000-09-05

        There are plenty of good places to go for recordings of Beethoven string quartets. I first fell in love with these works through listening at my library to the Guarneri String Quartet's rendition. When I first started collecting the quartets myself, I was hesitant to splurge on a two disk set for each period, and that is when I discovered the Cleveland quartet. For practical purposes, it is nice to be able to buy the quartets a little more selectively-- you can acquire the quartets one disk at a time! (Though over the years I have inevitably collected all the quartets.) For aesthetic purposes, the Cleveland quartet offers technically polished performances with brisk tempos (just the way Beethoven would have like them), and lively interpretations.

        The Op. 18 quartets of Beethoven's reveal his still present youth, showing clearly the influence of Mozart and Haydn as Beethoven grows and asserts himself stylistically. These are lively, playful works, and they possess an energy that only Beethoven can bestow upon the music. One should really have the complete Op. 18 set, but if you are looking for an introduction to Beethoven's quartets, this is a wonderful place to begin.

        Track Listings:

        1. Britten Choral Music: Corydon Singers/ Westminster Cathedral Choir/ Best
        2. Bruckner: Symphony No.5 [Import]
        3. Cecil Taylor: Algonquin
        4. Ceremony
        5. Chercheurs de Vérité
        6. Cherishing by Wind Chimes
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        8. Clarke & Ives Piano Trios
        9. Classical Treasures: Best of Classic Violin
        10. Collection [Box set]

        Track Listings

        track listings

        Track Listings

        Live from the Backyard in Austin, TX [Enhanced] [Live]

        Sergey Prokofiev: Sonata in D Major, Op. 115, for Solo Violin / Sonata in C Major, Op. 56, for 2 Violins / Dimitri Shostakovich: Sonata Op. 134, for Violin & Piano / Alfred Schnittke: Praeludium in Memoriam D. Shostakovich, for 2 Violins - Lydia Mordkovitch

        Remain in Light

        Ken Burns JAZZ Collection: Charles Mingus

        Anyway

        Rio After Dark [Import]

        Reflections From Broadway

        Purcell: Instrumental Works

        Slipknot [Import]

        Newdance: 18 Dances (1996-97)

        Rodgers & Hart Songbook [Import]

        Mi Historia

        Mi Guerita Coca Cola

        The Wild Magnolias

        Orb's Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld