# Beethoven String Quartets - which recording?



## Steve Wright (Mar 13, 2015)

Apologies in advance - you've probably had something similar to this a few times before!

I am just starting to get to know the Beethoven String Quartets, loving what I have heard (Razumovsky 3, op.32 - OK, not much thus far) and have decided that I should take the plunge and get to know the whole lot.
But recording do you recommend? I have done a bit of research and Quartetto Italiano is coming up top of my list - I think in style terms I am going to prefer the smooth, warm, lyrical end of the spectrum to the spiky, agitated end. For that reason I am discounting e.g. the Emersons (tell me if I am getting any of this wrong!)
Other versions I have my eye on are Alban Berg (cheaper on Amazon. Price not crucial, but not totally irrelevant either). Are the Bergs more dry and earnest than the Quartetto? I like their Schubert Quintet.
Also Endellion, Talich and Suske (wonderful, someone says. Ordinary, says another). Maybe Lindsays - some seem to love them, others say they can be sloppy. Maybe Takacs - or are they at the opposite (spiky) end of the spectrum to what I want?
Any guidance VERY gratefully received.
Steve


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## Andolink (Oct 29, 2012)

For the first six (Op. 18) get the Quatuor Mosaïques (historically informed on period instruments) on Naive. 

For the remainder get the Alexander String Quartet on FoghornClassics.


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## Steve Wright (Mar 13, 2015)

Thank you, Andolink!
I type Beethoven + Alexanders into Amazon and gives me this: 
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Beethoven-Complete-Masterpieces-Ludwig-Van/dp/B000NDEMAI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1426263281&sr=8-1&keywords=beethoven+quartets+alexander
A recommendation in itself?


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## Triplets (Sep 4, 2014)

You are right, this has been discussed several times before.
My two favorites are the Hungarian Qt, the Stereo Version, which can be hard to find. I had it as a cheap import from France. my second is the Quartetto Italiano. I also have the last thoughts of the Tokyo Quartet on SACD, which I find a bit lacking in passion and drive. The one that I really don't care for is the Emersons, but you will find passionate advocates of them here.


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## Steve Wright (Mar 13, 2015)

Andolink said:


> For the first six (Op. 18) get the Quatuor Mosaïques (historically informed on period instruments) on Naive.
> 
> For the remainder get the Alexander String Quartet on FoghornClassics.


PS Those Alexanders do seem to have some excellent reviews. Thank you! I'll certainly add them to the shortlist. 
Would the Foghorn edition
http://www.amazon.co.uk/L-Van-Beethoven-Complete-Quartets/dp/B002XDE9GI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1426264964&sr=8-2&keywords=beethoven+quartets+alexander
be preferable to the Arte Nova one?
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Quartets-Complete-Alexander-Qt/dp/B00000I9M7/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1426264964&sr=8-4&keywords=beethoven+quartets+alexander

Love to hear any other thoughts on Complete Quartets from Bergs, Italiano, Takacs, Talich, Endellion etc etc etc!


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## omega (Mar 13, 2014)

I've also asked for some advice when I wanted to buy my own set (look here)...

Eventually, I went for the Tokyo String Quartet (Harmonia Mundi)








Good, even very good performances (at least it is my opinion, I'm not a specialist), and extroardinary detailed sound!


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Tokyo String Quartet on RCA for complete Beethoven Quartets. None better.


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## Ukko (Jun 4, 2010)

I like recordings by several quartets. The Petersen is a highly reliable outfit, with approximately central takes. I have a special regard for the Vermeer, particularly in the late quartets and particularly-particularly in Op. 132.


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## Steve Wright (Mar 13, 2015)

omega said:


> I've also asked for some advice when I wanted to buy my own set (look here)...
> 
> Thanks for that link, very useful! Not least for the link in that thread to this very informative list:
> 
> ...


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## millionrainbows (Jun 23, 2012)

No matter which one you start out with, you'll always be curious about others. I have Guarneri (both analog and digital on RCA and Philips), Yale (on Vanguard), and Takacs. NBut I just heard the Borodin set, and it sounds marvelous! So here I go again...


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## MarkW (Feb 16, 2015)

Start anywhere and listen widely. With whomever you begin, you will eventually find other interpretations of individual quartets that you will favor. It's a natural evolution and a fascinating process of discovery. You will be blown away by the works almost wherever you start.


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## Steve Wright (Mar 13, 2015)

hpowders said:


> Tokyo String Quartet on RCA for complete Beethoven Quartets. None better.


Thanks! So far I've got one vote for each of the Tokyo recordings (RCA and Harmonia Mundi). Anyone else have a preference there?


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## Steve Wright (Mar 13, 2015)

MarkW said:


> Start anywhere and listen widely. With whomever you begin, you will eventually find other interpretations of individual quartets that you will favor. It's a natural evolution and a fascinating process of discovery. You will be blown away by the works almost wherever you start.


And thank you, I am sure you're right and I am being unnecessarily obsessive. But that's quite fun, as I'm sure many on here will understand...


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## Steve Wright (Mar 13, 2015)

PPS I think the only set for which I have read unadulterated praise (apart from the Alexanders, whom I've only learned about today) is the Cleveland Quartet. But they're perhaps just out of my budget:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Complete-Quartets-Cleveland-String-Quartet/dp/B000003D2W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1426275134&sr=8-1&keywords=beethoven+complete+quartets+cleveland


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

Has anyone explored the two Alexander Quartet sets? What are the differences? (I only know the Foghorn recordings, and then only in 127 and 132)


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

Steve Wright said:


> Apologies in advance - you've probably had something similar to this a few times before!
> 
> I am just starting to get to know the Beethoven String Quartets, loving what I have heard (Razumovsky 3, op.32 - OK, not much thus far) and have decided that I should take the plunge and get to know the whole lot.
> But recording do you recommend? I have done a bit of research and Quartetto Italiano is coming up top of my list - *I think in style terms I am going to prefer the smooth, warm, lyrical end of the spectrum to the spiky, agitated end*. For that reason I am discounting e.g. the Emersons (tell me if I am getting any of this wrong!)
> ...


That comment in bold is clear. I think you should try Budapest (1951) and Vegh stereo.


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## Guest (Mar 13, 2015)

I have the entire cycle by the Takacs Quartet, and can't praise it enough. They really nail it. I also have the late quartets by the Emersons, but Takacs is superior.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Steve Wright said:


> ...I think in style terms I am going to prefer the smooth, warm, lyrical end of the spectrum to the spiky, agitated end.


If that's truly the case, the Italiano will be a great choice. But the Takacs are really better! BTW, your thrift genes may be calling out for the Tokyo on RCA...

Hard to wrong anywhere here.


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## Steve Wright (Mar 13, 2015)

KenOC said:


> BTW, your thrift genes may be calling out for the Tokyo on RCA...


Thank you. Is the Tokyo RCA set superior/inferior to the later Harmonia Mundi? Or not much between them?


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

The later set is much more recent and has somewhat better sonics; but the sound on the earlier set is fine too. At the level of difference, it has little impact on my listening. I have only part of the Harmonia Mundi set, and the playing seems quite similar.


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## echmain (Jan 18, 2013)

Steve Wright said:


> PPS I think the only set for which I have read unadulterated praise (apart from the Alexanders, whom I've only learned about today) is the Cleveland Quartet. But they're perhaps just out of my budget:
> http://www.amazon.co.uk/Complete-Quartets-Cleveland-String-Quartet/dp/B000003D2W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1426275134&sr=8-1&keywords=beethoven+complete+quartets+cleveland


Steve, I have this set and I love it. But the price you found is for the box set. You can buy the discs individually for much less if you don't mind used CDs. These are the current listings on Amazon. But you can probably also find them on eBay, etc.

http://amzn.com/B000003D0L -- Op 18 no 1, 2, 3
http://amzn.com/B000003D1H -- Op 18 no 4, 5
http://amzn.com/B000003CWF -- Op 18 no 6, Op 59 No 1
http://amzn.com/B000003CXH -- Op 59 no 2, 3
http://amzn.com/B000003CZQ -- Op 74, 95
http://amzn.com/B000003D1S -- Op 127, 131
http://amzn.com/B000003D1U -- Op 132, 135
http://amzn.com/B000003D1P -- Op 130, Op 133 (Grosse Fuge)

Unfortunately, that last one is a bit steep. If you search around I'm sure you can find it for much less. These discs aren't rarities.


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## Balthazar (Aug 30, 2014)

I have had the Amadeus set for ages and more recently acquired the Takács and the Alexander (Foghorn). 

Takács is the one I go to 90% of the time now. The playing is beautiful and the sound quality is out of this world.


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## Ukko (Jun 4, 2010)

Steve Wright said:


> PPS I think the only set for which I have read unadulterated praise (apart from the Alexanders, whom I've only learned about today) is the Cleveland Quartet. But they're perhaps just out of my budget:
> http://www.amazon.co.uk/Complete-Qu...eywords=beethoven+complete+quartets+cleveland


If the Cleveland has been getting 'unadulterated' praise, your reading is too limited.


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## Triplets (Sep 4, 2014)

hpowders said:


> Tokyo String Quartet on RCA for complete Beethoven Quartets. None better.


Not to disparage the Tokyo, whose recording I own, but I would place them well behind every other set that I own. Nicely recorded, however.


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## Albert7 (Nov 16, 2014)

1) Emerson String Quartet
2) Takacs Quartet
3) Belcea Quartet
4) Tokyo String Quartet
5) Busch Quartet (in mono however).


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## GKC (Jun 2, 2011)

Steve Wright said:


> Thanks! So far I've got one vote for each of the Tokyo recordings (RCA and Harmonia Mundi). Anyone else have a preference there?


Tokyo on RCA, hands down.

Best thing to do though is get yourself a good turntable and cartridge and look for Philips LPs of the Quartetto Italiano on Ebay . Amazing.


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

Triplets said:


> Not to disparage the Tokyo, whose recording I own, but I would place them well behind every other set that I own. Nicely recorded, however.


Who do you like in 130/133?


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## MoonlightSonata (Mar 29, 2014)

Personally, I prefer the Alban Berg Quartet.


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## Andolink (Oct 29, 2012)

Mandryka said:


> Has anyone explored the two Alexander Quartet sets? What are the differences? (I only know the Foghorn recordings, and then only in 127 and 132)


I didn't know of the Arte Nova release of the ASQ cycle before now. It looks like it predates the FoghornClassics release by about 8-9 years.

I can only vouch for the Foghorn release and it' a winner in all respects.


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## Steve Wright (Mar 13, 2015)

MoonlightSonata said:


> Personally, I prefer the Alban Berg Quartet.


One of the sets I have my eye on. What do you like about them, especially?


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## Steve Wright (Mar 13, 2015)

Balthazar said:


> Takács is the one I go to 90% of the time now. The playing is beautiful and the sound quality is out of this world.


Thank you! Takács seem to top a lot of people's charts, not least this one...
http://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/syltguides/fullview/R30BFTN250MITU


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## Albert7 (Nov 16, 2014)

Yes although the Emerson String Quartet is equal to that of the Takacs' achievement.


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## DiesIraeCX (Jul 21, 2014)

Here are my thoughts on this, well first let me state that the Takacs are my favorites by far. I love the Quartetto Italiano, I enjoy the Emerson Quartet, the Alban Berg Quartet, as well as a few others. Yet the Takacs in my opinion offers the most multifaceted, dynamic reading I've heard. With the Italiano, you get an "old-school", slower tempi, and richly lyrical interpretation, my issue is that they uniformly paint the quartets with the same brush stroke, so to speak. The hard-driven parts aren't as intense as I'd like; the inherent weirdness, intensity, and radical aspects of the late quartets just aren't as evident (to _me_). The Emerson suffers from the same problem, but at the opposite end of the spectrum; fast tempos, technical perfection, applied indiscriminately throughout. Even on the Adagios. :-/

However, the Takacs seems to interpret each movement, each section individually. They capture the essence of the intense Allegros, yet they'll slow down their tempos on the Adagios, capturing their beauty, caressing the notes as they deserve to be, without overdoing it (as the Italiano does _sometimes_). Don't misunderstand me, I love the Quartetto Italiano, for their style of interpretation, they are the absolute best. Yet, I can't say that the Takacs has a style of interpretation because I haven't heard anything like it! I always keep coming back to the Takacs, for _all_ of the quartets, early, middle, and late periods. Their recording of the Late Quartets isn't just my favorite recording of Beethoven's quartets, it's my favorite recording. Period.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Steve Wright said:


> Thank you! Takács seem to top a lot of people's charts, not least this one...
> http://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/syltguides/fullview/R30BFTN250MITU


Steve, see also this ranked listing of the quartet cycles:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/syltguides/fullview/R3T5Y25MLG0WZW/ref=cm_srch_res_rpsy_alt_2

Pricing is a bit out of date.


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## Polyphemus (Nov 2, 2011)

No mention of The Lindsays yet, surely one of the automatic frontrunners. Takacs and Emersons are also up there. In fact the Masters Quartets have been particularly well served over the years. In fact all of the legendary Quartets have left us a recorded legacy of their efforts.


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## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

Polyphemus said:


> No mention of The Lindsays yet, surely one of the automatic frontrunners. Takacs and Emersons are also up there.


Personally, I like the Lindsays for the middle and late works. There are a few intonation problems, but there's an edge-of-the-seat, go-for-broke feeling to their recordings. And they seem to understand the spirituality in the late works.

I also like the Takacs for a more recent cycle.


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## Albert7 (Nov 16, 2014)

I will also give special props for the Belcea Quartet version as well. They are a young group and they have a certain freshness that makes their version not too studied which is very important for this type of cycle of works.


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## Steve Wright (Mar 13, 2015)

KenOC said:


> Steve, see also this ranked listing of the quartet cycles:
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/syltguides/fullview/R3T5Y25MLG0WZW/ref=cm_srch_res_rpsy_alt_2


Thank you! That's the link I meant to paste - far too many windows open yesterday, been getting a little bit obsessive. It looks a brilliant list.
Going on several of your recommendations, plus least that list and a classical writer friend's, and also after listening to various renditions myself, I think I am going to plump for the Takacs. Listening to them, I just seemed to detect a shade of extra warmth, life, complexity, energy - 'quickness', I might call it, meaning not speed but life. But others will have different takes!
Thanks, all, very much for your comments.
Piano sonatas next - am thinking Gilels, Brendel or Barenboim...? But that's for another thread.


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## Albert7 (Nov 16, 2014)

Steve Wright said:


> Thank you! That's the link I meant to paste - far too many windows open yesterday, been getting a little bit obsessive. It looks a brilliant list.
> Going on several of your recommendations, plus least that list and a classical writer friend's, and also after listening to various renditions myself, I think I am going to plump for the Takacs. Listening to them, I just seemed to detect a shade of extra warmth, life, complexity, energy - 'quickness', I might call it, meaning not speed but life. But others will have different takes!
> Thanks, all, very much for your comments.
> Piano sonatas next - am thinking Gilels, Brendel or Barenboim...? But that's for another thread.


For the piano sonatas I would go with the recently released version from DG with Maurizio Pollini. Easily the best one so far.


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## Alydon (May 16, 2012)

I still enjoy the Hollywood Quartet and the Busch in the 'late quartets' and The Vegh for the set, now at a very reasonable price at last. Unfortunately, in this music no one version is enough, but if I had to take one complete set it would be the Takacs as these have the highest quality of interpretation and sound of any quartet in my opinion.


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## TurnaboutVox (Sep 22, 2013)

Steve Wright said:


> Love to hear any other thoughts on Complete Quartets from Bergs, Italiano, Takacs, Talich, Endellion etc etc etc!


The Endellion Quartet produced a very interesting set using new editions of the scores. I'd say that the earlier quartets up to Op 74 are pretty good - sprightly and enjoyable (and I'd take their Op. 18 over the Takacs Quartet versions any day - I thought them rather lacking in subtlety and much prefer the Italians) But the Endellions are much less convincing in the late quartets, somehow they just doesn't seem to come together.

Now with the caveat that I've not heard the Takacs in the late quartets, and they are often highly praised, my favourites are the QI and the Talich quartet, who produce an amazing intimacy and coherence in their Beethoven. I've seen this set compared to the 1950s Vegh Quartet accounts, though again I've not heard the Veghs.

Part sets - the Tokyos and Alban Bergs are excellent, the former precise and exquisite, the latter immaculate, grave and polished. But these are only my subjective impressions and the best thing you can do is buy, borrow or Spotify a few and get listening!


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