Beethoven - Late String Quartets

Decca: 4708492

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Beethoven - Late String Quartets

Awards:

Gramophone Awards 2005

Record of the Year Finalist

Building a Library

First Choice - January 2009

BBC Music Magazine

Chamber Choice - March 2005

Label:

Decca

Catalogue No:

4708492

Discs:

3

Release date:

31st Jan 2005

Barcode:

0028947084921

Medium:

CD
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Beethoven - Late String Quartets

Beethoven:

String Quartet No. 11 in F minor Op. 95 'Serioso'

String Quartet No. 12 in E flat major, Op. 127

String Quartet No. 13 in B flat major, Op. 130

String Quartet No. 14 in C sharp minor, Op. 131

String Quartet No. 15 in A minor, Op. 132

Grosse Fuge in B flat major, Op. 133

String Quartet No. 16 in F major, Op. 135

Takács Quartet

CD - 3 discs

$35.50

Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days.

playBeethoven: String Quartet #12 In E Flat, Op. 127 - 1. Maestoso, Allegro

playBeethoven: String Quartet #12 In E Flat, Op. 127 - 2. Adagio, Ma Non Troppo E Molto Cantabile

playBeethoven: String Quartet #12 In E Flat, Op. 127 - 3. Scherzo: Vivace

playBeethoven: String Quartet #12 In E Flat, Op. 127 - 4. Allegro, Allegro Comodo

playBeethoven: String Quartet #14 In C Sharp Minor, Op. 131 - 1. Adagio, Ma Non Troppo E Molto Espressivo

playBeethoven: String Quartet #14 In C Sharp Minor, Op. 131 - 2. Allegro Molto Vivace

playBeethoven: String Quartet #14 In C Sharp Minor, Op. 131 - 3. Allegro Moderato

playBeethoven: String Quartet #14 In C Sharp Minor, Op. 131 - 4. Andante, Ma Non Troppo E Molto Cantabile

playBeethoven: String Quartet #14 In C Sharp Minor, Op. 131 - 5. Presto

playBeethoven: String Quartet #14 In C Sharp Minor, Op. 131 - 6. Adagio Quasi Un Poco Andante

playBeethoven: String Quartet #14 In C Sharp Minor, Op. 131 - 7. Allegro

playBeethoven: String Quartet #15 In A Minor, Op. 132, "Heiliger Dankgesang" - 1. Allegro Sostenuto, Allegro

playBeethoven: String Quartet #15 In A Minor, Op. 132, "Heiliger Dankgesang" - 2. Allegro Ma Non Tanto

playBeethoven: String Quartet #15 In A Minor, Op. 132, "Heiliger Dankgesang" - 3. Molto Adagio

playBeethoven: String Quartet #15 In A Minor, Op. 132, "Heiliger Dankgesang" - 4. Alla Marcia, Assai Vivace

playBeethoven: String Quartet #15 In A Minor, Op. 132, "Heiliger Dankgesang" - 5. Allegro Appassionato

playBeethoven: String Quartet #16 In F, Op. 135 - 1. Allegretto

playBeethoven: String Quartet #16 In F, Op. 135 - 2. Vivace

playBeethoven: String Quartet #16 In F, Op. 135 - 3. Lento Assai, Cantante E Tranquillo

playBeethoven: String Quartet #16 In F, Op. 135 - 4. Grave, Allegro

playBeethoven: String Quartet #11 In F Minor, Op. 95, "Serioso" - 1. Allegro Con Brio

playBeethoven: String Quartet #11 In F Minor, Op. 95, "Serioso" - 2. Allegretto Ma Non Troppo

playBeethoven: String Quartet #11 In F Minor, Op. 95, "Serioso" - 3. Allegro Assai Vivace Ma Serioso

playBeethoven: String Quartet #11 In F Minor, Op. 95, "Serioso" - 4. Larghetto Espressivo, Allegro Agitato, Allegro

playBeethoven: String Quartet #13 In B Flat, Op. 130 - 1. Adagio Ma Non Troppo, Allegro

playBeethoven: String Quartet #13 In B Flat, Op. 130 - 2. Presto

playBeethoven: String Quartet #13 In B Flat, Op. 130 - 3. Andante Con Moto, Ma Non Troppo

playBeethoven: String Quartet #13 In B Flat, Op. 130 - 4. Alla Danza Tedesca

playBeethoven: String Quartet #13 In B Flat, Op. 130 - 5. Cavatina

playBeethoven: Grosse Fuge In B Flat, Op. 133

playBeethoven: String Quartet #13 In B Flat, Op. 130 - 6. Finale: Allegro

The Guardian

(concert review)

“It is impossible to exaggerate the beauty of the tone-colours that these four musicians achieve... If late Beethoven is the Holy Grail of quartet playing, then the Takács Quartet has found it”

Gramophone Classical Music Guide

2010

“Interpreters of the late quartets have to convey what at times sounds like a stream of musical consciousness while respecting the many written markings. The Takács do better than most. For openers, they had access to the new Henle Edition and have made use of some textual changes – nothing too drastic but encouraging evidence of a good musical conscience. In Op 130 they take the long first-movement exposition repeat, using the Grosse Fuge as the rightful finale (Beethoven's original intention) which, in the context of their fiery reading of the fugue, works well.
Contemporary incredulity at the sheer scale and complexity of the fugue caused Beethoven to offer a simpler alternative finale, in which they again play the repeat, which helps balance the 'alternative' structure.
The Takács evidently appreciate this music both as musical argument and as sound. Try their glassy sul ponticello at the end of Op 131's Scherzo, or the many instances where plucked and bowed passages are fastidiously balanced.
Attenuated inflections are honoured virtually to the letter, textures carefully differentiated, musical pauses intuitively well-timed and inner voices nearly always transparent.
This set completes one of the best available Beethoven quartet cycles, possibly the finest in an already rich digital market, more probing than the pristine Emersons or Alban Bergs (live), more refined than the gutsy and persuasive Lindsays, and less consciously stylised than the Juilliards (and always with the historic Busch Quartet as an essential reference).”

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