Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. String Quartet No. 15 in A minor ('Heiliger Dankgesang'), Op. 132: Assai sostenuto -- Allegro
2. String Quartet No. 15 in A minor ('Heiliger Dankgesang'), Op. 132: Allegro ma non tanto
3. String Quartet No. 15 in A minor ('Heiliger Dankgesang'), Op. 132: Heiliger Dankgesang eines Genesenen an der Gottheit, in der Lydisc
4. String Quartet No. 15 in A minor ('Heiliger Dankgesang'), Op. 132: Alla marcia, assai vivace
5. String Quartet No. 15 in A minor ('Heiliger Dankgesang'), Op. 132: Allegro appassionato
6. Fugue for string quartet in B flat major ('Grosse Fuge'), Op. 133

Disc 2:

1. String Quartet No. 14 in C sharp minor, Op. 131: Adagio ma non troppo e molto espressivo
2. String Quartet No. 14 in C sharp minor, Op. 131: Allegro molto vivace
3. String Quartet No. 14 in C sharp minor, Op. 131: Allegro moderato
4. String Quartet No. 14 in C sharp minor, Op. 131: Andante ma non troppo e molto cantabile
5. String Quartet No. 14 in C sharp minor, Op. 131: Presto
6. String Quartet No. 14 in C sharp minor, Op. 131: Adagio quasi un poco andante
7. String Quartet No. 14 in C sharp minor, Op. 131: Allegro
8. String Quartet No. 12 in E flat major, Op. 127: Maestoso - Allegro
9. String Quartet No. 12 in E flat major, Op. 127: Adagio, ma non troppo e molto cantabile
10. String Quartet No. 12 in E flat major, Op. 127: Scherzando vivace

Disc 3:

1. String Quartet No. 12 in E flat major, Op. 127: Finale
2. String Quartet No. 13 in B flat major, Op. 130: Adagio ma non troppo - Allegro
3. String Quartet No. 13 in B flat major, Op. 130: Presto
4. String Quartet No. 13 in B flat major, Op. 130: Andante con moto ma non troppo
5. String Quartet No. 13 in B flat major, Op. 130: Alla danza tedesca, Allegro assai
6. String Quartet No. 13 in B flat major, Op. 130: Cavatina, Adagio molto espressivo
7. String Quartet No. 13 in B flat major, Op. 130: Finale, Allegro
8. String Quartet No. 16 in F major, Op. 135: Allegretto
9. String Quartet No. 16 in F major, Op. 135: Vivace
10. String Quartet No. 16 in F major, Op. 135: Lento assai e cantante tranquillo
11. String Quartet No. 16 in F major, Op. 135: Grave ma non troppo tratto - Allegro

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #43698 in Music
• Brand: RCA
• Released on: 1990-10-10
• Number of discs: 3
• Dimensions: .45 pounds

Amazon.com essential recording
The Guarneri Quartet has forgotten more about the late quartets of Beethoven than most other ensembles will ever know. They understand the profound lyrical impulse behind these works, and they manage the paradoxical feat of imparting a sublime sense of inevitability to the music while achieving spontaneity at the same time. The interpretations serve the music admirably, though the sound is somewhat veiled. Although the set is rather awkwardly laid out--Op. 127 is split between two discs, and the Grosse Fuge appears on a separate disc from Op. 130, to which it was the original finale--the insights are worth the trouble. --Ted Libbey

Customer Reviews

Opus 127 a gem
If you are going to buy only one recording of the late Beethoven Quartets, then the 3-CD set of the Guarneri Quartet performances is the one to get. And if you are going to buy more than one set of the late quartets, then get this first. No performing group can perform more than one of the late quartets better than everybody else, but overall, the Guarneri Quartet does the best job, and their performance of the Opus 127 Quartet is beyond praise. It is such a perfect performance of this most lyrical of quartets: it is capable of making one blissfully happy, driving home on a country road on an Indian summer twilight with the windows rolled down and with an impossibly strong feeling of euphoria that lingers on late into the night. It is rare for a performing group to shape each phrase of a Beethoven quartet so well, tying in each phrase so beautifully and inevitably into the next. The Guarneri's sense for the architecture of this piece is unsurpassed. The performances of the other late quartets, though good, don't come up to the high standard set on Opus 127. There aren't any really good recordings on CD in print of the Opus 131, but the Guarneri does pretty well. (Will SONY ever release on CD the Columbia monaural recording of the studio performance of Opus 131 made by the Budapest Quartet in the 1950's with Jac Gorodetzky, 2nd violin, ML-4585? Don't hold your breath. And for the best performance of Opus 132, try the Fine Arts Quartet's performance that is currently available on CD.) How many stars does the Guarneri Quartet rate on these performances? I wouldn't give any quartet more than 4 for the collection of the late quartets, but when I see which other recordings of the late quartets received perfect 5-star ratings by Amazon customers, I am tempted to give the Guarneri at least a 6. And for the Opus 127, a 10 on a scale of 5.

Guarneri makes late Beethoven accessible and deeply moving
I have been an avid classical music consumer for over 30 years, as well as being a professional musician and teacher.

With the exception of the 9th symphony, most late Beethoven tends to be a style of music which can be best described as deeply profound. This is not music with a lot of bells and whistles. It tends to require repeated concentrated listening to achieve a maximum level of understanding and enjoyment.
Nowhere is this more true than in the string quartets of Opp. 127, 130, 131, 132 and 135.

I have found that the Guarneri String Quartet has served as an excellent guide to these spiritual adventures in music. The heartfelt simplicity of their playing along with their matchless execution, and intonation helps to make the late Beethoven quartets a deeply moving experience every time I listen to them.

The Cavatina from Op. 130 (Adagio molto espressivo- slow, with much expression), is to me the musical description of the soul meeting God.

If you are a newcomer to this literature, you might consider checking out the early and middle quartets first. If your'e a veteran listener, I found this recording deeply satisfying.

Sublime Agony and peace
This is music born out of a lifespan of extreme agony that melted away into peace and content , such expression is unequalled in all music ( perhaps with the exception of Wagner)

The performance is perfection , the slow movements will bring tears into your eyes , the fast will engulf you with their intellect and energy . Those people really "understand" what the music is saying , there're not simply playing notes .