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Beethoven: Complete String Quartets Vol. 1

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Description
Ludwig van Beethoven's Op. 18, published in 1801 by T. Mollo et Comp in Vienna in two books of three quartets each, consisted of his first six string quartets. They were composed between 1798 and 1800 to fulfill a commission for Prince Joseph Franz Maximilian Lobkowitz, who was the employer of Beethoven's friend, the violinist Karl Amenda. They are thought to demonstrate his total mastery of the classical string quartet as developed by Joseph Haydn and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The order of publication (numbering within the opus) does not correspond to the order of composition. Beethoven composed these quartets in the sequence 3, 1, 2, 5, 4, 6. The Colorado Quartet took the daring step of embarking on a complete cycle of Beethoven's string quartets, recording for the small Parnassus label of Woodstock, NY, and its set of late quartets received considerable critical acclaim. One can echo that praise when it comes to this set of the six quartets of Op. 18, composed between 1798 and 1800, and closely related to Haydn's and Mozart's mature quartets. The thing to note, and it's a word of caution rather than a criticism, is that this is a Beethoven recording of a certain dispassionate type. If you prefer players who "stay out of the music's way," leaving aside the question of whether such a thing is really possible, this set deserves your strong consideration. Sample the angular melody at the beginning of the String Quartet in D major, Op. 18/3 which seems to strain at the boundaries of Classical string quartet texture: it is perfectly possible for musicians to emphasize the music's tension and ebullience, but first violinist Julie Rosenfeld plays it straight. In the set as a whole, the dispassionate approach has several consequences. It emphasizes, for example, the specific models of these quartets in Haydn's and Mozart's works, and some of these are explored in the booklet notes (in English only) by Michael Friedmann. And it favors the slow movements, whose melodies don't always stand up to more heated treatment; several of them here have a beautiful delicate quality. The engineering, from a theater at Bard College in the Hudson River valley, is straightforward and effective. A worthy throwback to an era in which string quartet playing tended toward the circumspect.
Released
2019-02-17
Composer(s)
  • Ludwig van Beethoven PRS
Catalogue number
cwlTemp003
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  • String Quartet No. 1 in F Major, Op. 18 No. 1

    I. Allegro con brio

    cwlTemp003 Beethoven: Complete String Quartets Vol. 1

      I. Allegro con brio

      Recording identifier: Label: Catalogue number: Conductors: Producer: Engineer: Recording date: 2019-02-17 Performance timing: Ensemble: Leader: Recording location:

      cwlTemp003

      I. Allegro con brio

      cwlTemp003

        Beethoven: Complete String Quartets Vol. 1

        09:08

        Recording identifier: Label: Catalogue number: Conductors: Producer: Engineer: Recording date: 2019-02-17 Performance timing: Ensemble: Leader: Recording location:

        3

        09:08

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      • String Quartet No. 2 in G Major, Op. 18 No. 2

        I. Allegro

        cwlTemp003 Beethoven: Complete String Quartets Vol. 1

          I. Allegro

          Recording identifier: Label: Catalogue number: Conductors: Producer: Engineer: Recording date: 2019-02-17 Performance timing: Ensemble: Leader: Recording location:

          cwlTemp003

          I. Allegro

          cwlTemp003

            Beethoven: Complete String Quartets Vol. 1

            07:45

            Recording identifier: Label: Catalogue number: Conductors: Producer: Engineer: Recording date: 2019-02-17 Performance timing: Ensemble: Leader: Recording location:

            3

            07:45

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          • String Quartet No. 3 in D Major, Op. 18 No. 3

            I. Allegro

            cwlTemp003 Beethoven: Complete String Quartets Vol. 1

              I. Allegro

              Recording identifier: Label: Catalogue number: Conductors: Producer: Engineer: Recording date: 2019-03-24 Performance timing: Ensemble: Leader: Recording location:

              cwlTemp003

              I. Allegro

              cwlTemp003

                Beethoven: Complete String Quartets Vol. 1

                07:11

                Recording identifier: Label: Catalogue number: Conductors: Producer: Engineer: Recording date: 2019-03-24 Performance timing: Ensemble: Leader: Recording location:

                3

                07:11

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              • String Quartet No. 4 in C Minor, Op. 18 No. 4

                I. Allegro ma non tanto

                cwlTemp003 Beethoven: Complete String Quartets Vol. 1

                  I. Allegro ma non tanto

                  Recording identifier: Label: Catalogue number: Conductors: Producer: Engineer: Recording date: 2019-03-31 Performance timing: Ensemble: Leader: Recording location:

                  cwlTemp003

                  I. Allegro ma non tanto

                  cwlTemp003

                    Beethoven: Complete String Quartets Vol. 1

                    08:25

                    Recording identifier: Label: Catalogue number: Conductors: Producer: Engineer: Recording date: 2019-03-31 Performance timing: Ensemble: Leader: Recording location:

                    3

                    08:25

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                  • String Quartet No. 5 in A Major, Op. 18 No. 5

                    I. Allegro

                    cwlTemp003 Beethoven: Complete String Quartets Vol. 1

                      I. Allegro

                      Recording identifier: Label: Catalogue number: Conductors: Producer: Engineer: Recording date: 2019-04-01 Performance timing: Ensemble: Leader: Recording location:

                      cwlTemp003

                      I. Allegro

                      cwlTemp003

                        Beethoven: Complete String Quartets Vol. 1

                        06:50

                        Recording identifier: Label: Catalogue number: Conductors: Producer: Engineer: Recording date: 2019-04-01 Performance timing: Ensemble: Leader: Recording location:

                        3

                        06:50

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                      • String Quartet No. 6 in B-Flat Major, Op. 18 No. 6

                        I. Allegro con brio

                        cwlTemp003 Beethoven: Complete String Quartets Vol. 1

                          I. Allegro con brio

                          Recording identifier: Label: Catalogue number: Conductors: Producer: Engineer: Recording date: 2019-04-01 Performance timing: Ensemble: Leader: Recording location:

                          cwlTemp003

                          I. Allegro con brio

                          cwlTemp003

                            Beethoven: Complete String Quartets Vol. 1

                            05:50

                            Recording identifier: Label: Catalogue number: Conductors: Producer: Engineer: Recording date: 2019-04-01 Performance timing: Ensemble: Leader: Recording location:

                            3

                            05:50

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