Beethoven's String Quartets

[Raymond]

I was replying to the question whether all the Beethoven quartets are worth knowing. No, I haven't heard all the sets (I should have written that none of the sets seem to be duds, from the various reviews) and that it might help the questioner to state which ones I have.

[DavidW]

I was replying to the question whether all the Beethoven quartets are worth knowing. No, I haven't heard all the sets (I should have written that none of the sets seem to be duds, from the various reviews) and that it might help the questioner to state which ones I have.

Oh you mean the OP!  That post is 16 years old!  But I'm sure he'll appreciate your post when he reads it.

[George]

Marvin, you should've titled this thread 'Opening a can of worms'!

Expect a bewildering array of recommendations.

I miss this guy. 

[Que]

I miss this guy. 

Mark! Very nice guy, wonder what happened to him....

Probably on Talk Classical? 

[prémont]

Mark! Very nice guy, wonder what happened to him....

Probably on Talk Classical? 

Do you refer to Mark or Marc. The former is as far as I know not on TC, while the latter sometimes can be met there.

[Que]

Do you refer to Mark or Marc. The former is as far as I know not on TC, while the latter sometimes can be met there.

I recall Mark as being a Brit, and Marc is Dutch. I meant Mark.

[prémont]

I recall Mark as being a Brit, and Marc is Dutch. I meant Mark.

It's maybe ten years since Mark left the forum.

[Scion7]

I was replying to the question whether all the Beethoven quartets are worth knowing.

Well, of course they all have some value.  The early quartets - in the Classic style, aren't superior to Haydn's and clearly are not desert-island material.  It is with the Middle quartets that things get interesting, and one should not miss out on Op.74 or the Op.59 Rasumovsky quartets.
The late quartets are of course absolutely essential and the greatest compositions in their genre in history.

[SonicMan46]

The #BeethovenStringQuartetCycleSurvey has received its most massive update in years!

My contribution to mankind. 

New: Beethoven String Quartet, Ébène, Miró, Kuss Quartet's, Stanislas, Casals.
Re-issues: Lindsay, Alban Berg, Juilliard I, Pascal, Smetana II.
Historical: Dimov Q4t

Last three days or so, I've been listening to my 'current' collection of these works, i.e. just a disc from each of the periods, although Q. Mosaïques have not recorded the 'middle quartets' (yet?) - for those just getting into these works or 'refining' their choices, definitely review the link above from Jens; also, Dave Hurwitz has a 30+ min video (at the bottom) reviewing 16 cycles w/ the Takács Quartet in the top five (Jens Classics Today review HERE).  Finally, I've attached some reviews for those interested.  Dave

Note: the Takács box also includes a DVD and an audio BD of all works which I've not heard (but can play on my Sony Blu-ray player, sound is sent optically to my den stereo).

 

[Mandryka]

I want to ask a question about op 59/3 recordings -- Raz 3.

Theodor Helm (in his book Beethovens Streichquartette) says that "The magic of the A minor Andante is indescribable, if performers allow it the proper and highly poetic, intimate, conception in performance, which is yet free from all false sentimentality." (Translation in Nancy November's Beethoven's Theatrical Quartets.)

Is there any recording which plays the Andante in a way which Helm might have approved of?

[DavidW]

@SonicMan46 Yes I love the Takacs Q set.  For other great modern sets try:



Now it is finally easy to buy the Smetana Q set, and I also love Vegh II and Juilliard.

[Atriod]

@SonicMan46 Yes I love the Takacs Q set.  For other great modern sets try:


Now it is finally easy to buy the Smetana Q set, and I also love Vegh II and Juilliard.

We are very close in our tastes.

Some minor updates, namely moving Artemis Quartet down one.

I revisited Pražák Quartet and did some back and forth through about a third of the quartets with Auryn Quartet. Pražák impressed me a lot more this time around. I was listening to too much Talich, Végh II, Budapest, etc when I got Pražák in and I needed some distance from them. They do something very interesting I haven't heard in any other group, their tempi are slightly on the brisk side in slow movements but even in the early quartets they display some of that elevated, reaching late Beethoven with their phrasing. I usually equate this with taking those movements a bit slower. Auryn Quartet I'm not finding too much to my taste. The biggest detractor to me is they are a tonally grey, especially compared to Pražák (particularly Vacláv Remeš and his singing tone). So far the only thing I've heard from them that has really impressed me and made my default cycle is their Haydn which is quite expressive, and strangely sounds a bit less period influenced (more tenderness, with vibrato) than the Beethoven. I ordered their Schumann cycle as I found a cheap copy and I only had this from Italiano and I think Alban Berg.

Updated below

Agreed, this is why I don't feel guilty about adding cycles. Also from the rather lackluster 2020 with all the piano sonata cycles as well as individual sonata discs I've grown increasingly skeptical and weary of recordings of these (last truly exceptional cycle I heard was Andrea Lucchesini) but I don't feel that about the string quartets which somehow still come across as sounding "genuine" (hard to explain).

Went through what I have or made copies of and gave away. Bolds are favorites and ranked somewhat in order (I wouldn't place much weight on the order). Italics falling somewhere in between followed by the rest.


Vegh II
Budapest Columbia I
Petersen incomplete
Busch Quartet late
Hungarian I
Pražák
Italiano (Philips and incredible interpretations from their EMI era as well, a bit more brio/edge than the smoother Philips)
Juilliard I


Artemis
Talich
Suske
Yale late
Alban Berg I

Mosaiques late
Endellion
Takacs
Alban Berg II
Gewandhaus
The Lindsays I

Unfamiliar with:
Emerson, have it from the complete DG box, mostly only heard in background listening. Same with Goldner Quartet.

Curious about - Smetana complete cycle from late 70s/early 80s.

Want more from - Arditti, exceptional performance of Grose Fuge; you'd think it would be super modern but it just sounds really balanced.

From what I have heard from Chiaroscuro Quartet this should be a good cycle, and hopefully surpass Mosaïques in the late quartets (they did in op. 130 for me). I prefer Mosaïques in the early quartets that I've heard against Chiaroscuro.

I would like to refamiliarize myself with the Quatuor Ébène video cycle, as it sounds better than the CD cycle and I like some of the performances on it more than the CDs.

[ChamberNut]

Looking for one additional Beethoven string quartet set.

Requirements: Modern instruments, modern(ish) sound, box set is hopefully cardboard or paper sleeves (no jewel cases).

These are the three I've narrowed down.  What would you recommend out of these three?  Thank you kindly. 

For context, I have two complete sets I enjoy: Takács and Quartetto Italiano

[Jo498]

The ABQ set is a classic and should be so cheap that you can get it in addition to one of the others. It's also the only one of these 3 I have heard. They are best in the middle quartets, all 5 of which must be among the top versions of them.
I also like the rest but the tend to play all quartets like "middle Beethoven" and thus don't quite get the weirdness in some of the late quartets where they are best in op.127 and 135 and such movements as the 131 finale but maybe not the Dankgesang or all of op.131.

[Spotted Horses]

I've always like the Vermeer Quartet, originally Teldec, now Warner and boxed up, perhaps out of print. My tag line for them is "old world performances in modern sound." I've always disliked the ABQ's recordings for EMI, probably because of the dry audio engineering. Two cycles I've acquired but haven't listened to yet are Prazak and Ebene, with high hopes based on other repertoire.

Note added: I was thinking Belcea when I inexplicably typed Ebene. In truth I own all three.

[Kalevala]

I've always like the Vermeer Quartet, originally Teldec, now Warner and boxed up, perhaps out of print. My tag line for them is "old world performances in modern sound." I've always disliked the ABQ's recordings for EMI, probably because of the dry audio engineering. Two cycles I've acquired but haven't listened to yet are Prazak and Ebene, with high hopes based on other repertoire.

If you do ever hear the Prazak and the Ebene, I'd love to hear your thoughts as I have really enjoyed what I've heard from the two quartets.

K

[JBS]

If you do ever hear the Prazak and the Ebene, I'd love to hear your thoughts as I have really enjoyed what I've heard from the two quartets.

K

Ebene is very good, with the added bonuses of being recorded in concert and not being in chronological order.

Prazak did not particularly impress me when I played them through. But I am thinking a revisit is due.

[DavidW]

@Franco_Manitobain ABQ and Ebene would be up your alley. Belcea is like Emersons on steroids. Doesn't fit with your preferences. I have listened to them all, like them all, but ABQ is head and shoulders better than Ebene and Belcea IMO. But not with the SQ to match if that is important to you.

[DavidW]

If you do ever hear the Prazak and the Ebene, I'd love to hear your thoughts as I have really enjoyed what I've heard from the two quartets.

K

I've heard both. I much prefer Prazak, one of my favorite cycles while Ebene is... just okay. They don't have the rhythmic drive and complete mastery of every nuance of these quartets like Prazak Q has.

[ChamberNut]

@Franco_Manitobain ABQ and Ebene would be up your alley. Belcea is like Emersons on steroids. Doesn't fit with your preferences. I have listened to them all, like them all, but ABQ is head and shoulders better than Ebene and Belcea IMO. But not with the SQ to match if that is important to you.

Thanks David. I was leaning towards ABQ, and I love their Mozart quartets.