Beethoven: String Quartets, Opp. 18/5 & 59/1

On this CD:

1. String Quartet No. 5 in A major, Op. 18/5
Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven

2. String Quartet No. 7 in F major ("Rasumovsky 1") Op. 59/1
Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven

Tracks:

Str Qt in A, Op.18 No.5: I. Allegro
Str Qt in A, Op.18 No.5: II. Menuetto
Str Qt in A, Op.18 No.5: III. Andante Cantabile
Str Qt in A, Op.18 No.5: IV. Allegro
Str Qt in F, Op.59 No.1 'Rasumovsky': I. Allegro
Str Qt in F, Op.59 No.1 'Rasumovsky': II. Allegretto Vivace E Sempre Scherzando
Str Qt in F, Op.59 No.1 'Rasumovsky': III. Adagio Molto E Mesto -
Str Qt in F, Op.59 No.1 'Rasumovsky': IV. Theme Russe: Allegro

Beethoven: String Quartets, Opp. 127, 131, 132, 135; Minuet from Op. 18, No. 5

Average customer rating:

Supreme Beethoven.
Supreme late Beethoven.
excellent performance and good sound for the period

Beethoven: String Quartets, Opp. 127, 131, 132, 135; Minuet from Op. 18, No. 5

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Classical Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music
ASIN: B0000029VC
Release Date: 1997-06-03

Tracks:

String Qrartet No. 16 In F Major, Op. 135: I. Allegretto
String Qrartet No. 16 In F Major, Op. 135: II. Vivace
String Qrartet No. 16 In F Major, Op. 135: III. Lento assai e cantante tranquillo
String Qrartet No. 16 In F Major, Op. 135: IV. Grave ma non troppo tratto - Allegro
String Quartet No. 14 In C-Sharp Minor, Op. 131: I. Adagio ma non troppo e molto espressivo
String Quartet No. 14 In C-Sharp Minor, Op. 131: II. Allegro molto vivace
String Quartet No. 14 In C-Sharp Minor, Op. 131: III. Allegro moderato
String Quartet No. 14 In C-Sharp Minor, Op. 131: IV. Andante ma non troppo e molto cantabile
String Quartet No. 14 In C-Sharp Minor, Op. 131: V. Presto

Tracks:

String Quartet No. 12 In E-Flat Major, Op. 127: I. Maestoso - Allegro
String Quartet No. 12 In E-Flat Major, Op. 127: II. Adagio, ma non troppo e molto cantabile
String Quartet No. 12 In E-Flat Major, Op. 127: III. Scherzando vivace
String Quartet No. 12 In E-Flat Major, Op. 127: IV. Finale
String Quartet No. 15 In A Minor, Op. 132: I. Assai sostenuto - Allegro
String Quartet No. 15 In A Minor, Op. 132: II. Allegro ma non tanto
String Quartet No. 15 In A Minor, Op. 132: III. Canzona, di ringraziamento, molto adagio
String Quartet No. 15 In A Minor, Op. 132: IV. Alla Marcia, assai vivace
String Quartet No. 15 In A Minor, Op. 132: V. Allegro appassionato
String Quartet No. 15 In A Minor, Op. 132: VI. Adagio quasi un poco andante - Budapest String Quartet
String Quartet No. 15 In A Minor, Op. 132: VII. Allegro - Budapest String Quartet
Minuet From String Quartet In A Major, Op. 18, No. 5 - Budapest String Quartet

Customer Reviews:

Supreme Beethoven........2003-07-10

The Budapest quartet was at its peak in the 1940's, when Sasha Schneider was its full-time second violinist. Their sound was warm, precise, and broadly swinging (listen to the opening of Opus 18, no. 4, for a taste of what I mean). The Guarneri, the Clevland, the Emerson, plus a few others learned about quartet playing from the Budapest, and they have freely acknowledged their indebtedness. Read the story of the Budapest quartet in 'Con Brio', a biography by Nat Brandt, the son-in-law of Boris Kroyt (the Budapest's incomparable violist.)

Here's a way to get a complete set of the 16 Beethoven quartets by the Budapest.

1) Sony 62870 (these 2 CD's). Budapest at its best.
2) Sony 62873, 2 CD's, similar to 1) above, containing all the Late quartets, except #13, and the Grosse Fugue. Budapest at its best.
3) Sony 46545, Sony's Essential Classics, stereo, containing #7 and #8. A very inexpensive CD; over 70 minutes of gorgeous music. Quartet #7 (the Rasumovsky No. 1) was the Budapest's calling card. The recording is 1960 vintage, and Sasha Schneider had rejoined the quartet to again play 2nd violin. The four quartet members were all over 60 years old, but intonation frailties or not, this CD is a treasure, as the music is trade-mark Budapest.
4) Sony 47665, Essential Classics, stereo, containing #9, #10, and the Grosse Fugue. About 75 minutes of music. The same artistic quality as 3) above. Again a treasurable CD despite the frailties.
5) Sony 52531, 2 CD's, containing the 6 Early quartets. Recorded in the 1950's. Jac Gorodetzki played 2nd violin. It's hard for me to recommend these 6 quartets. The mono sound isn't that good, but more importantly, to me, the Budapest sounds different when Sasha Schneider isn't there. On the other hand, you can't get all the 16 quartets without this box.
6) Now only #13 is missing. The only choice is Bridge 9072, 3 CD's, mono, containing all the late quartets, plus the Grosse Fugue. I don't recommend this box either. The sound is sometimes truly horrible, but the playing--recorded live at the Library of Congress--is quite gripping.

It takes a total of 11 CD's to put together a complete set of Beethoven by the Budapest! There are overlaps, and the sound and artistic qualities are variable. Here's hoping one day Sony will stop teasing us and release the definitive Budapest in one inexpensive box.

Supreme late Beethoven........2003-07-10

Late Beethoven quartet playing doesn't come any better than this! It's a shame that these 2 CD's don't include quartet no. 13, and the Grosse Fugue. The recordings come from 78's and are mono. But no apology is needed, the sound is full and ABSOLUTELY VERY GOOD. There's a similar 2-CD Sony set covering the Budapest's traveral of some of the early and middle Beethovens. Together, these 4 Sony CD's are a few notches better than what's offered on Bridge, where the Budapest was recorded live at the Library of Congress. Bridge offers the Budapest on 6 CD's. But there, the sound is sometimes horrible although the playing is no less than gripping.

I'm particularly impressed by quartet no. 14 (Opus 131.) The penatration into the music is as deep as the Busch quartet, but technically, the Budapest plays better. This quartet was at its peak in the 1940's; there was no intonation problem at all.

While you are at it, read the biography of the Budapest quartet as told by Nat Brandt, the son-in-law of Boris Kroyt (the Budapest's violist.)

Buy this Sony set. Highly recommended.

excellent performance and good sound for the period.......1999-08-20

This is an enjoyable set. The performances are excellent, and the sound remarkable considering that this is from 1940-42. I would not make this my first choice for these works, however, because successive generations of string quartets have learned their lessons well. Indeed, Quartetto Italiano, Lasalle(late quartets), Emerson (middle), Vegh (early), and others perform even better.

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