# Beethoven - String Quartet 16 op. 135



## Merl (Jul 28, 2016)

Beethoven's op.135 String Quartet was the last complete work he completed before his death and was published in September 1827, after his death. Personally I see it as a distillation of everything he did in the genre but others may disagree. Whatever its my favourite Beethoven quartet and I view it as his masterpiece of the genre.
The 1st movement, allegretto, is wonderful. It opens with its four-note motif on the viola then Haydneque melodies are casually passed around the instruments and developed with intricate counterpoint but there's a sparsness too that adds an air of mystery. It almost feels improvisational. 
The 2nd movement, vivace , is equally winning with its vague similarities to the 7th symphony (my favourite symphony) and lively tempo. With it's slightly off-kilter rhythms and sprightly dancing violins you get the feeling Beethoven is playing with us again (Where's that downbeat?) until everyone hits a unison chord (still off the beat) and we are (almost) resolved. A smiling, rapidly ascending scale interrupts followed by a louder section. Cello and viola swirl and the violins rasp and bubble until eventually the vivace returns and the movement ends as joyously as it began. 
The 3rd movement, Lento, is much darker. Calm and melancholy, it has a hymn-like quality and is one of my favourite Beethoven slow movements (along with the op.29 Quintet) forming an emotional heart for the quartet. Consisting of a largely undetectable theme with variations the movement is broody and tragic and yet hopeful and reassuring at the same time (witness the end of the movement where a gentle lullaby beautifully takes over). 
The finale movement bears the title “The Difficult Resolution" and what a tour de force it is. The slow Grave intro has the bass instruments asking “Muss es sein" (must it be?) before a powerful, joyful Allegro section (“Es muss sein!” it must be)! bursts forth. The movement develops with good humour and lightness until eventually we are interrupted again ("muss es sein") but this time it's more menacing and darker. A short, affirmative question and answer section then ensues ( in which "it must be" comes out as the victor) and the whole quartet ends with what I hear as a Haydnesque joke as the brief, gentle pizzicato section gives the impression of the quartet ensemble sneaking offstage before one affirmative, boisterous, tensile final statement.
I own tons of recordings of this quartet, have contributed to a now defunct blog and Spotify was a great help with some of the single discs so this final summation is a mix of old notes, some short relistens (to see if I'd changed my mind from 5 years ago - I sometimes have) and binge listening of newer recordings. So without any more ado here's my final thoughts, leaving out those that didn't make the cut for one reason or another and those I haven't heard. My last ones to miss the cut were the *Alban Berg* live recording as it just wasn't as good as the studio one, the *Hagens* as they did it much better later and the *Eroicas*, who take the 2nd and 3rd movements too slowly and lose momentum. This is also true of the *Busch* recording where the slow movement is so pedestrian that it loses all shape and is an endurance for me.

Here's a live performance by the Orion Quartet






I know many of you will have your faves but give some of these a try. I've re-instated a couple of the ones that missed the cut as they were still impressive but missing something or with something that keeps it from the superb list. I would happily recommend any of the recordings below but the mostly impressive list would be with reservations. I would heartily recommend any from the superb list onwards. Your order will probably be different but that's the joy of listening.

*Mostly Impressive*
Vlach
Alexander (Arte Nova)
Schaeffer
Colorado
Quartetto Italiano
Aeolian
New Budapest
Philharmonia Quartet Berlin
Leipziger
Cleveland (Telarc)
Melos (DG)
Takacs
Tokyo RCA
Lindsays (70s)
Borodin
Jupiter
Skampa
Orion
Orford

*Superb

Kodaly* - why some people don't rate at least much of this cycle I don't know. This is yet another example of their consistency across the whole set. Class. Their op. 131 is even better.
*Artemis* - taut and right articulation with limited vibrato and great control.
*Emerson (1995)* - a tremendously powerful performance allied with gorgeous warm playing. Another reference recording.
*Brentano* - a recording that has made its way up my recommended list due its focus, clarity and excellent structure. Come back in another month and it may be even higher.
*Kuss* - a tight, well-recorded reading from a decent, modern, live cycle.
*Petersen* - strong middle of the road performance. Great playing.
*Quatuor Mosaiques* - superb period performance with top sound.
*Di Cremona* - quirky, not for everyone but thoroughly engaging.
*Alban Berg (studio) * - Big, bold and very classy. A reference.
*Casals* - although they miss some of the wit the ensemble playing is immense.
*Tokyo (Harmonia Mundi) *- gentle, warmly romantic and beautiful, recorded stunningly.
*Juilliard (live) *- lovely all-round account that obviously went down as well with the audience as it did with me judging by the rapturous applause it received.
*Gewandhaus *- excellent account from an underrated cycle.
*Guarneri (Philips)* - gentler, quicker and better realised than the RCA recording.
*Ebene* - this is such a strong reading and ticks all the boxes. Beautifully recorded and each movement is equally strong.
*Yale* - warm, highly lyrical and with a beautiful flow. Well-regarded for a reason.

*Christmas Crackers (sublime)

Talich* - this is such a jolly, exuberant recording that it makes you smile from the start. Glorious playing and you may not hear a better 2nd movement.

*Alexander (Foghorn) *- another tremendous performance from a superb cycle. Surprisingly, not their strongest one from their set (tells you how good some of the others are) but still top-class. The first and final movements are exceptionally good.

*Vegh (70s set) *- Iove this one. The Veghs have a rustic charm in their playing that I find utterly compelling. It doesn't totally work in some of their recordings but in this one it's a joy. Listen to the 2nd movement and the end of the 4th movement and you'll get what I mean.

*Hagen (2012)* - although slower than their first recording this one is much better recorded, has a beautiful depth and some of the ensemble playing is just mesmerising. The slow movement is achingly beautiful.

*Zehetmair* - I was told I'd either love this one or hate it. There are some little interpretive touches throughout but rather than detract from the performance I personally love them. Like the Skampa quartet reading (another you should really check out) this one challenges you and makes you listen anew to this quartet. I really enjoyed this one. I don't know whether this will bear repeated listens but up to now it's definitely a performance that has caught my imagination.

*Emerson (1988)* - if the Emerson's later traversal, from their complete cycle, is superb then this is even better. It's slightly broader in most movements (although the 2nd movement is identical in timing and sound) but the slow movement is handled beautifully and as they come out of the slow intro in the 4th movement they really let rip into the allegro but it sounds so natural. A terrific recording that deserves its place amongst the best (thanks Knorf for reminding me about it).

*Auryn*

The soundstage is wonderful but most importantly the playing is utterly sublime. Turn this one up and check out the violin sound. There are times during the 4th movement where it makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end! Otherwise it's a dynamic yet equally subtle in places performance that twists and turns and makes me want to play it again. Not everyone will feel the same about the Auryn's more blended sound but you should hear this as it really works here.

*Prazak* - this recording has steadily made its way up the list as I've revisited the 16th. It's bold, forthright but hadks the requisite charm and wit in the first two movements that I find most appealing. Big chords are just that and texturally they have the measure of this quartet. A keeper


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## SearsPoncho (Sep 23, 2020)

I have the Quartetto Italiano as my #1 in Op,135. Everything that's missing in their disappointing Op. 131 is present here: Sharp articulation and attack, when necessary, clarity of line and musical architecture, balance, a large dynamic range, an almost Haydnesque touch and elan at the appropriate times, a prominent cello, and jarring contrasts when called for. It's a joy from start to finish.

I've gone over your excellent reviews of the Razumovskys and the late quartets, and there is one quartet which is usually absent: The Tokyo Quartet. I find all their Beethoven recordings to be either very good or excellent. It might be the "safest cycle" for the uninitiated - musical, well balanced and compelling, with a beauty of tone they're famous for. I realize you can't review everything, but I believe I only saw the Tokyo once in the R's and lates, and that was to "merely" recommend them on the lower end of your scale.

Anyhow, we all have different preferences, and I view your blog as an invaluable resource! After decades of reading Gramophone, I realized that I've never received a good recommendation from them, with the exception of the super-obvious (e.g., Carlos Kleiber conducts...). 

Again, thank you. I read your blog with interest...and take notes.

*EDIT: *I now see that you rate the Tokyo highly in this one. I stand corrected (embarrassed face).


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## Merl (Jul 28, 2016)

Thanks for the compliment, SP, and for taking the time to read my reviews. I've always rated the Tokyo's RCA first cycle. Its a solid, very well played and decently recorded set and was one of the first full sets I bought (after the Itallianos). As I tried to point out a while back there are some sets that don't feature heavily in my reviews but that doesn't mean I don't rate them (far from it). Some are strong as a cycle but have fewer 'exceptional' performances in comparison to others. The Tokyo is one of those, for me, and the same goes for their second cycle on Harmonium Mundi, too. Both work better when played as a cycle rather than as individual performances, whereas a set such as the Di Cremona may have more standouts but there are a few that dont work as well so I play individual quartets more. The Miro cycle is another one that certainly 'suffers' in this respect and I've barely recommended many recordings from it but it's still a fine set . Others like the Borodin, Lindsay (first cycle), Goldner, Endellion, Elias, Gabrieli/Aeolian and New Budapest are similar in that you might not see as many of these recommended by me as there's not always as many standout recordings but as a cycle they work very well. The first Lindsays set is a perfect example of this. Tbh, there's not one Beethoven set I dislike. Each has its merits but some have a few more 'special' recordings, for me. You e got to remember that with so many recordings of each work (plus many outstanding single recordings of certain quartets) competition is actually stronger than fierce and I can often only recommend the very, very best or each review would be mammoth.  Thanks again for your comments. SP, and your support. It's highly appreciated.


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