Beethoven: String Quartet No. 4 in C minor, Op. 18 No. 4

The Sacconi Quartet presents a new recording of three of Beethoven’s masterful early string quartets. The Opus 18 quartets (Nos 1, 4 and 6) appear on the third release on the Quartet’s own label, Sacconi Records. The disc is released upon the recent completion of the Sacconi Quartets’ two year Beethoven Cycle, performed in the UK at both the Canterbury Festival and Music at St Peter’s, Wallingford.

This set of six works, published as Opus 18 in 1801, were Beethoven’s first attempt at writing for the string quartet. Beginning these early masterpieces, the 28 year old Beethoven was already known for his virtuosic improvisations and remarkable musicianship. In these quartets he not only demonstrates his skill and mastery of the medium as developed by Haydn and Mozart, but also explores new musical territory, anticipating later developments in his compositional style.

The F major quartet (Op.18 No.1) is a masterpiece in brilliance and vitality, with a slow movement that contains some of the most sensitive and tragic writing of his earlier works.

In Op.18 No.4 in C minor, Beethoven moves towards a more concerto-like format and the first violin dominates in this vibrant and atmospheric piece. The final quartet of the set, Op.18 No.6 in B flat major is a work of extreme contrasts, and the slow introduction to the last movement, La Malinconia, is a celebrated passage of profound originality.

The Sacconi Quartet is one of the UK's leading string quartets. Since its formation at the Royal College of Music in 2001, it has established a secure and substantial reputation. The Quartet is recognised for its unanimous and compelling ensemble, performing with style and commitment and consistently communicating with a fresh and imaginative approach. Its four founder members demonstrate a shared passion for string quartet repertoire, infectiously reaching out to audiences with their energy and enthusiasm. Over the past decade they have enjoyed a highly successful international career, performing regularly throughout Europe, at London’s major venues, in recordings and radio broadcasts.

With their debut release on Virgin Classics in 2005 of Beethoven’s Quartets Opp.59/1 & 95, the Artemis Quartet launched, with promising success, a full Beethoven Quartet cycle for the label. The recording was greeted with great enthusiasm worldwide (in France, CHOC of the Year, Monde de la Musique - Diapason d’Or).

This release of Beethoven’s ‘Razumovsky’ & Quartet 18/4 is the Artemis’ much awaited second step in the projected complete Beethoven cycle - this time in its new grouping with new members Gregor Sigl and Friedemann Weigle, which we discover for the first time in an all-quartet programme, further to their recent release of Schubert’s String Quintet with Truls Mørk.

‘The Artemis String Quartet makes chamber music spectacular: the quartet's playing is polished and precise but at the same time spontaneous, fresh and explosive as though the music is being improvised on the spot. Even the physical motions involved with the bowing are beautifully choreographed to reflect the mood of the music.’ The Enquirer

Third release on the new VIVAT label features the world-renowned Allegri String Quartet in the first of their new Beethoven Quartets series.

Beethoven’s remarkable Opus 18 quartets are full of energy and variety, optimistic yet passionate, brimming with invention and enthusiasm. Early Beethoven they may be, but the composer was already a complete master of the quartet, revolutionising the form.

The Allegri String Quartet celebrate their 60th anniversary in 2013, making them one of Britain’s longest-established chamber ensembles. Their acclaimed Beethoven series in concert and on CD is a central pillar of their celebrations.

Recorded at very high resolution (192kHz, 24-bit) in the well-nigh perfect acoustics of The Menuhin Hall, the recording brings unparalleled clarity and richness to the quartet’s sound.

Full-length disc (78’41”) with high quality documentation in three languages.

The release of this two-disc set completes the Budapest String Quartet's historic Beethoven string quartet cycle, recorded at the Library of Congress's Coolidge Auditorium. Both the middle and late Quartets from this cycle (BRIDGE9099A/C and BRIDGE9072A/C) have frequently been cited as among the finest recordings ever made of Beethoven's singular masterpieces. The present recordings of Beethoven's six Op. 18 quartets were selected from performances given during the Budapest's 22-year long residency at the Library. In addition to the six quartets, a short track drawn from a Budapest String Quartet rehearsal (1944) is included on disc two.