# Beethoven's String Quartets



## StlukesguildOhio

String quartets, quintets, trios, etc... have long ranked near the bottom of the heap of classical musical genres that I am most enthralled with. In spite of this, I have most of the complete quartet cycles by the big guns of the string quartet: Haydn, Mozart, Schubert... even Shostakovitch and Bartok. For whatever reason, however, I have never picked of a complete cycle of Beethoven's quartets. Having said this, I should add in my own defense that I own any number of volumes of recordings of various quartets by Beethoven. These include performances by the Busch Quartet, the Alban Berg, the Emerson, the Takacs Quartet, the Quartetto Italiano, etc... I am looking now to pick up a complete set and would like to hear feedback as to which recordings are your favorites... and why. Among the more budget-priced sets, I'm looking at the Alban Berg, the Emersons, and the Budapest quartets.

Any thoughts?


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## Ukko

You have the quartets in 'non-set' recordings by several ensembles, so I am assuming that you expect a complete set to provide some consistency of approach and or technique. I tend to avoid Emerson recordings, but _only_ because my heart is warmer than their collective one; they are too cool for me; the ensemble work is top-notch. I have been unable to categorize the work of the Budapest, maybe because some of their recordings are nearly as old as I am. In general, I usually feel that something, some small thing, is missing in my appreciation of any given performance. If I were to acquire a complete set, for the reasons I lay on you above, it would be two sets; a 'collected' Guarnieri (I actually may have that now, if I can count LPs), and the Alban Berg. The ABQ is tighter in ensemble, usually more precise in pitch, and not too cool for me. The Guarnieri tends to be warmer, with, ah, component characters that I enjoy. Their being a Marlboro outfit is probably a factor.

Sorry about the imprecision + shallowness, _StLukes_; my music terminology is next to nil.


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## kv466

For me it's a tossup between Emerson and Quartetto Italiano. Hmmm, you always came across as knowing exactly what you want from your Beethoven strings...sometimes, a good mix of a bunch of different artists is better than a single group doing 'em all. You can't go wrong with either of those two, though.


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## Taneyev

My choice is:

Earlier: Italiano.

Middle: Fine Arts.

Lasts: Yale.


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## NightHawk

SQ's are at the top of my heap, so I have several cycles and many 'various' singles throughout the extensive literature. Re Beethoven cycles specifically, I have the Emerson, Alexander, and Kodaly Quartets along with numerous 'various' recordings. I would also like complete Beethoven cycles from the Berg, Taneiev and the Guarneri. As you know, each ensemble has a distinct character and chemistry, and each have something new to add - I would not want to part with any of them. I am listening to the Alexander most often right now as they are my newest cycle, and they're very, very good. I would venture that the Emerson's Beethoven cycle is the top seller - they are easily the most virtuosic of the ensembles I have. Also, I listen with scores more to SQ's than any other medium.



StlukesguildOhio said:


> String quartets, quintets, trios, etc... have long ranked near the bottom of the heap of classical musical genres that I am most enthralled with. In spite of this, I have most of the complete quartet cycles by the big guns of the string quartet: Haydn, Mozart, Schubert... even Shostakovitch and Bartok. For whatever reason, however, I have never picked of a complete cycle of Beethoven's quartets. Having said this, I should add in my own defense that I own any number of volumes of recordings of various quartets by Beethoven. These include performances by the Busch Quartet, the Alban Berg, the Emerson, the Takacs Quartet, the Quartetto Italiano, etc... I am looking now to pick up a complete set and would like to hear feedback as to which recordings are your favorites... and why. Among the more budget-priced sets, I'm looking at the Alban Berg, the Emersons, and the Budapest quartets.
> 
> Any thoughts?


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## StlukesguildOhio

Hmmm, you always came across as knowing exactly what you want from your Beethoven strings...

No... string quartets have always been near the bottom of my play list. Vocal music first and foremost... followed by symphonic, solo instrumental, other chamber genres, etc... I picked up the Busch Quartet recordings on Dutton earlier this year and I quite like these... but they never recorded the Grosse Fugue... and much of their catalog is out of print or difficult to acquire.

For me it's a tossup between Emerson and Quartetto Italiano.

I had their box set some years back and liked the fluidity of their playing... but unfortunately the set was stolen.

I have the Emerson, Alexander, and Kodaly Quartets along with numerous 'various' recordings... I am listening to the Alexander most often right now as they are my newest cycle, and they're very, very good.

Now I love the Kodaly Quartet's recordings of Haydn. I didn't know they had recorded Beethoven as well. This is certainly an option to look into. I've also heard much about the Alexander Quartet... and what I've been able to hear by them does indeed sound very, very good. I think I only avoided them due to the price.


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## jurianbai

isn't it the blind vote of Grose Fugue organized here recenlty won by newcomer, Artemis string quartet. Which is I quite agree too, perhaps can be your consideration.









http://amzn.to/w903lD


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## Selby

Has anyone heard any of the newer Beethoven recording from either Quatuor Mosaiques or the Belcea Quartet?


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## realdealblues

Nope, but I would be interested in hearing feedback as well.


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## EvaBaron

I’m starting a little project with the Beethoven string quartets. Never heard any other string quartet by any other composer except Schubert’s Rosamunde. I choose the Takacs quartet because I’ve done some research on this forum and they are considered excellent and with good sound quality which is a bonus. I’m going to start with 1 and then upwards from that. I’m already really liking this. Listening to the 2nd movement of the first quartet. I really like this form, maybe it will become a favorite of mine, right now I’m mainly a big fan of violin and piano concertos and symphonies


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## Manxfeeder

EvaBaron said:


> I’m starting a little project with the Beethoven string quartets. Never heard any other string quartet by any other composer except Schubert’s Rosamunde. I choose the Takacs quartet because I’ve done some research on this forum and they are considered excellent and with good sound quality which is a bonus. I’m going to start with 1 and then upwards from that. I’m already really liking this. Listening to the 2nd movement of the first quartet. I really like this form, maybe it will become a favorite of mine, right now I’m mainly a big fan of violin and piano concertos and symphonies


The Takacs recordings are great, in my opinion. Beethoven's quartets will take you to places you've never been.


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## Kreisler jr

Don't let the remainder op.18 disappoint you because #1 is the best of these 6 and the slow movement might be the most immediately and emotionally appealing of all 24 movements of this opus...


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## Merl

Kreisler jr said:


> Don't let the remainder op.18 disappoint you because #1 is the best of these 6 and the slow movement might be the most immediately and emotionally appealing of all 24 movements of this opus...


I'm definitely not with you on this one, Kreisler. The 1st quartet is my *least* favourite of the op.18s (but I still love it) ! I absolutely adore the 5th and 6th quartets of the early set. Just goes to show how different we all are.


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## EvaBaron

I won’t get discouraged because I know that even if I don’t like the remainder of op. 18 the journey will still be worth it. The middle and late quartets are really beloved so it’s a safe bet that I’ll love them as well and I think it’ll be interesting to listen to all the quartets in chronological order, I’m going to do the same with his piano sonatas I think. Never heard one of those as well except 14 of course


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## Kreisler jr

It's not that I personally think the remainder of op.18 is disappointing but I could imagine a newcomer being somewhat disappointed because the passionate "Romeo and Juliet" adagio movement in 18/1 is an outlier. The disappointing piece for me is the c minor quartet (of which I mainly like the 2nd movement), but this is also fairly popular. I also like #2 a lot although this is in some ways the "lightest", most Haydn-like, #5 is brilliant but a bit too closely modelled after Mozart'S K 464. I find #6 a bit uneven with the very light first movement and strange finale although it's probably the most original of the bunch. #3 is also uneven and the one actually composed first although the finale was replaced or revised and now seems a bit too big for the rest.
Overall, I don't find op.18 an easily accessible bunch of works; they are very ambitious, but also uneven and often a bit awkward. It's not an accident that some of the early piano sonatas or even the trios op.1 and some later quartets, despite their length and difficulty are more popular. My recommendation both for the string quartets and piano sonatas would actually be not to listen in order from 1,2... but jump between early, middle, late works.


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## Merl

Kreisler jr said:


> My recommendation both for the string quartets and piano sonatas would actually be not to listen in order from 1,2... but jump between early, middle, late works.


And on this we can agree. 😁 The hard bit is it's not easy recommending where to start as so many people like different quartets the best and view them as 'more accessible'. Check out the differing opinions on the thread, I've linked below, as an example of different opinions 









your 5 favorite Beethoven string quartets


How would you rank them? (You can say your 5 favorite, or your 5 top recommendations, or the 5 you consider the greatest, or all of these this or whatever.) You can count the Grosse Fuge separately or as part of the op. 130.




www.talkclassical.com


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## Kreisler jr

I am surprised that you like op.18/1 the least. I had the impression that it was generally very well liked and the most highly regarded of the set, probably together with #6. (One hint is that the few historical recordings like Busch and wartime Budapest include this as one of the few early quartets.)
As "telescoped" start I have sometimes recommended op.18/1 and 135... I don't much care for three of the apparently most popular, 18/4, 59/3 and 74. I think 18/4 is a dud, by far the weakest (the c minor string trio is much better, even the piano trio op.1/3 is better). I like 74 a lot more than I used to (mostly the first two movements) but 59/3 a bit less. My favorites of the middle ones are 59/1 and 95 but I would hesitate to recommend either for the beginner, 95 is at least short, so in any case worth a try. If one can get into the harsh first movement, 59/2 is a great start into the middle quartets.

I accidentally started with the late ones. The first two I remember hearing were 127 and 135; I didn't "get them" but neither did I find them that much more difficult than other classical music (I was used to sitting through some stretchs between the "great parts"), may favorite part was the finale of op.135. But then I taped op.131 in the Bernstein/Vienna recording and op.132 with, I think, ABQ, from the radio and was spellbound. Next were probably 59,2+3 and 74. op.18 were the last works I got to know, only when I bought a complete recording for my 18th birthday, about two years after my first encounter with a Beethoven quartet.
op.132 and 135 would probably be my first recommendations for the late quartets.


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## Merl

Kreisler jr said:


> ...
> 
> op.132 and 135 would probably be my first recommendations for the late quartets.


Yeah they're my two recommended late quartets too.


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## mdf

https://thebeethovenproject.com/exploring-the-beethoven-quartets-on-disc-many-paths-to-nirvana/


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## hoodjem

Taneyev said:


> My choice is:
> Earlier: Italiano.
> Middle: Fine Arts.
> Lasts: Yale.


These are excellent recommendations.

For complete sets, I recommend

1. Vegh Quartet (1972-74; Valois/Naive)
2. Lindsay String Quartet (1975-84; ASV/Resonance/Decca)
3. Tokyo Quartet (1989-92; RCA/Sony)
4. Quartetto Italiano (Phi)
5. Budapest Quartet (CBS/Sony)
6. Takacs Quartet (2001-04; Decca)
7. Tokyo Quartet (Harmonia Mundi)
8. Talich Quartet (1977-82; Calliope/Supraphon)
9. Alban Berg Quartet (1978-84; EMI)
10. Julliard Quartet (CBS/Sony)



For the record, I find the Emerson Quartet's performances of the Beethoven quartets to be awful, just plain awful (cold, electrified, rushed, cursory, frenzied, and precipitous).


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## Merl

hoodjem said:


> These are excellent recommendations.
> 
> For complete sets, I recommend
> 
> 1. Vegh Quartet (Valois/Naive)
> 2. Lindsay String Quartet (1975-84; ASV/Resonance/Decca)
> 3. Tokyo Quartet (1989-92; RCA/Sony)*
> 4. *Busch Quartet (EMI)*



Not nitpicking but the Busch Quartet didn't do a complete set.


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## hoodjem

Merl said:


> Not nitpicking but the Busch Quartet didn't do a complete set.


Okay. Thanks.
Apparently, I misapprehended from the summary of this article.


https://thebeethovenproject.com/exploring-the-beethoven-quartets-on-disc-many-paths-to-nirvana/



Another survey:








A Survey of Beethoven String Quartet Cycles


An Index of ionarts Discographies Continuing my discographies, this is a survey of - hopefully - every extant recorded cycle of Beethove...




ionarts.blogspot.com


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## Merl

Btw, Hoodjem, there are a number of cycles missed from the Ionarts Beethoven SQ cycles, mostly new but a few obscure. Some of these are really good (or even better). So add to the list.....

Stanislas (still yet to hear)
Ebene (terrific live cycle - a must-hear)
Kuss (impressive live cycle)
Miro
Casals (some terrific recordings)

The Arianna, Sine Nomine and Dover Quartets are 2/3 through their traversals too and the Quatuor Mosaiques have recorded a similar amount in HIP (you should listen to them - whether you will like them is up to you but most agree they are essential listening). The Brodskys recorded the early quartets earlier on their career and these are just ok but their more recent recordings of the late quartets are generally excellent and are well worth hearing. I've probably missed some as I'm rushing as I'm packing for my flight home from Spain.


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