Product Details
Beethoven - The Complete String Quartets / Alban Berg Quartet

Beethoven - The Complete String Quartets / Alban Berg Quartet
Ludwig van Beethoven, Alban Berg Quartet, Gerhard Schulz, Hatto Beyerle, Thomas Kakuska, Valentin Erben Günther Pichler

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Track Listing

Disc 1:

  1. String Quartet No. 1 in F major, Op. 18/1: I. Allegro con brio
  2. String Quartet No. 1 in F major, Op. 18/1: II. Adagio affettuoso ed appassionato
  3. String Quartet No. 1 in F major, Op. 18/1: III. Scherzo (Allegro molto) & Trio
  4. String Quartet No. 1 in F major, Op. 18/1: IV. Allegro
  5. String Quartet No. 7 in F major ('Rasumovsky 1'), Op. 59/1: I. Allegro
  6. String Quartet No. 7 in F major ('Rasumovsky 1'), Op. 59/1: II. Allegretto vivace e sempre scherzando
  7. String Quartet No. 7 in F major ('Rasumovsky 1'), Op. 59/1: III. Adagio molto e mesto / IV. Allegro (Th�me russe)

Disc 2:

  1. String Quartet No. 2 in G major ('Compliments'), Op. 18/2: I. Allegro
  2. String Quartet No. 2 in G major ('Compliments'), Op. 18/2: II. Adagio cantabile
  3. String Quartet No. 2 in G major ('Compliments'), Op. 18/2: III. Scherzo (Allegro) & Trio
  4. String Quartet No. 2 in G major ('Compliments'), Op. 18/2: IV. Allegro molto, quasi presto
  5. String Quartet No. 6 in B flat major, Op. 18/6: I. Allegro con brio
  6. String Quartet No. 6 in B flat major, Op. 18/6: II. Adagio, ma non troppo
  7. String Quartet No. 6 in B flat major, Op. 18/6: III. Scherzo (Allegro) & Trio
  8. String Quartet No. 6 in B flat major, Op. 18/6: IV. Adagio (La Malinconia) - Allegretto quasi Allegro
  9. String Quartet No. 16 in F major, Op. 135: I. Allegretto
  10. String Quartet No. 16 in F major, Op. 135: II. Vivace
  11. String Quartet No. 16 in F major, Op. 135: III. Lento assai, cantate e tranquillo
  12. String Quartet No. 16 in F major, Op. 135: IV. Grave, ma non troppo tratto - Allegro

Disc 3:

  1. String Quartet No. 3 in D major, Op. 18/3: I. Allegro
  2. String Quartet No. 3 in D major, Op. 18/3: II. Andante con moto
  3. String Quartet No. 3 in D major, Op. 18/3: III. Allegro
  4. String Quartet No. 3 in D major, Op. 18/3: IV. Presto
  5. String Quartet No. 5 in A major, Op. 18/5: I. Allegro
  6. String Quartet No. 5 in A major, Op. 18/5: II. Menuetto & Trio
  7. String Quartet No. 5 in A major, Op. 18/5: III. Andante cantabile
  8. String Quartet No. 5 in A major, Op. 18/5: IV. Allegro
  9. String Quartet No. 11 in F minor ('Serioso'), Op. 95: I. Allegro con brio
  10. String Quartet No. 11 in F minor ('Serioso'), Op. 95: II. Allegretto ma non troppo / III. Allegro assai vivace, ma serioso
  11. String Quartet No. 11 in F minor ('Serioso'), Op. 95: IV. Larghetto espressivo - Allegretto agitato - Allegro

Disc 4:

  1. String Quartet No. 4 in C minor, Op. 18/4: I. Allegro ma non tanto
  2. String Quartet No. 4 in C minor, Op. 18/4: II. Scherzo (Andante scherzoso quasi Allegretto)
  3. String Quartet No. 4 in C minor, Op. 18/4: III. Menuetto (Allegretto) & Trio
  4. String Quartet No. 4 in C minor, Op. 18/4: IV. Allegro
  5. String Quartet No. 13 in B flat major, Op. 130: I. Adagio ma non troppo - Allegro
  6. String Quartet No. 13 in B flat major, Op. 130: II. Presto
  7. String Quartet No. 13 in B flat major, Op. 130: III. Andante con moto, ma non troppo
  8. String Quartet No. 13 in B flat major, Op. 130: IV. Ala danza tedesca (Allegro assai)
  9. String Quartet No. 13 in B flat major, Op. 130: V. Cavatina (Adagio molto espressivo)
  10. Fugue for string quartet in B flat major ('Grosse Fuge'), Op. 133
  11. String Quartet No. 13 in B flat major, Op. 130: VI. Finale

Disc 5:

  1. String Quartet No. 8 in E minor ('Rasumovsky 2'), Op. 59/2: I. Allegro
  2. String Quartet No. 8 in E minor ('Rasumovsky 2'), Op. 59/2: II. Molto Adagio
  3. String Quartet No. 8 in E minor ('Rasumovsky 2'), Op. 59/2: III. Allegretto
  4. String Quartet No. 8 in E minor ('Rasumovsky 2'), Op. 59/2: IV. Finale (Presto)
  5. String Quartet No. 12 in E flat major, Op. 127: I. Maestoso - Allegro
  6. String Quartet No. 12 in E flat major, Op. 127: II. Adagio ma non troppo, molto cantabile
  7. String Quartet No. 12 in E flat major, Op. 127: III. Scherzando vivace
  8. String Quartet No. 12 in E flat major, Op. 127: IV. Finale

Disc 6:

  1. String Quartet No. 9 in C major ('Rasumovsky 3'), Op. 59/3: I. Introduzione (Andante con moto) - Allegro vivace
  2. String Quartet No. 9 in C major ('Rasumovsky 3'), Op. 59/3: II. Andante con moto quasi allegretto
  3. String Quartet No. 9 in C major ('Rasumovsky 3'), Op. 59/3: III. Menuetto (Grazioso) & Trio / IV. Allegro molto
  4. Op. 131 In C Sharp Minor: I: Adagio ma non troppo e molto espressivo
  5. Op. 131 In C Sharp Minor: II: Allegro molto vivace
  6. Op. 131 In C Sharp Minor: III: Allegro moderato
  7. Op. 131 In C Sharp Minor: IV: Andante ma non troppo e molto cantabile
  8. Op. 131 In C Sharp Minor: V: Presto
  9. Op. 131 In C Sharp Minor: VI: Adagio quasi un poco andante
  10. String Quartet No. 14 in C sharp minor, Op. 131: VII. Allegro

Disc 7:

  1. String Quartet No. 10 in E flat major ('Harp'), Op. 74: I. Poco adagio - Allegro
  2. String Quartet No. 10 in E flat major ('Harp'), Op. 74: II. Adagio ma non troppo
  3. String Quartet No. 10 in E flat major ('Harp'), Op. 74: III. Presto / IV. Allegretto con Variazioni
  4. String Quartet No. 15 in A minor ('Heiliger Dankgesang'), Op. 132: I. Allegro sostenuto - Allegro
  5. String Quartet No. 15 in A minor ('Heiliger Dankgesang'), Op. 132: II. Allegro ma non tanto
  6. String Quartet No. 15 in A minor ('Heiliger Dankgesang'), Op. 132: III. Molto adagio
  7. String Quartet No. 15 in A minor ('Heiliger Dankgesang'), Op. 132: IV. Alla marcia, assai vivace
  8. String Quartet No. 15 in A minor ('Heiliger Dankgesang'), Op. 132: V. Allegro appassionato

Product Details

  • Amazon Sales Rank: #5923 in Music
  • Released on: 1999-11-16
  • Number of discs: 7
  • Dimensions: .61 pounds

Customer Reviews

Just beautiful5
What a splendid set. I'm familiar with a number of other recordings--Cleveland, Takacs, Emerson, Budapest, Kodaly, etc.--but this is the best overall to my taste. The tone and sound are just beautiful. There is plenty of passion but no harshness. Plenty of gentleness and simply beauty when they are called for. Lots of dynamic range and varied tempi. On almost every movement (except for me Op 59 #1 second movement) they make the music come across in a fresh way that one can return to over and over.
Also, beautifully recorded.
Can't imagine anything better (though the Auryn quartet is wonderful, as well.)

Two Beethoven cycles from the Alban Berg--which one is better?5
Founded in 1971, the Alban Berg Quartet of Vienna was the dominant ensemble in the quartets of Mozart and Beethoven for two decades. Such was their pre-eminence that EMI recorded two complete Beethoven cycles with them over the span of less than five years. The first was made in the studio in 1985, the second was recorded live at the Mozart Saal in Vienna in 1989--since the latter contains applause, it's obvious which is which upon hearing htem. But online stores like Amazon, Tower, and Crotchet do not distinguish between the two. The one pictured herer is the studio cycle.

By general consensus the live recordings are warmer and freer in interpretation, the studio ones being noticeably more tightly controlled and polished. Virtually every critic prefers the 1989 cycle, which indeed is probably the best from the post-Budapest Quartet era (even surpassing the virtuosic Takacs and Emerson cycles of the last decade by combining intensity, genuine Viennese style, and sheer technical ease). I've bought both cycles and can attest that EMI's digital sound from 1985 is edgy and over-bright, making it impossible to listen comoftably at real-life volume levels, while the 1989 concert readings are in excellent sound, adding yet another reason to acquire the later set.

The orange-jacket Red Line series, offered a sisngle CD at a time, is from 1985 and should be avoided. The "Great Recordings of the Century" set of the late quartets, with a photo of the four members of the Alban Berg on the cover, is from the live 1989 cycle. the only missing link is the possibility that the pictured box set here has been remastered, which the 1985 cyle certainly deserves.

P.S. - A commenter offers a correction: Only the Late Quartets from this cycle were digitally recorded, and first appeared on LP in 1984. The Early and Middle Quartets were made in 1981 and 1979, respectively, and are analogue recordings, as I remember first buying them in "Seraphim" boxed sets on LP. The first CD remastering appears to have been in 1985, however, unfortunately, the entire cycle was not recorded "in the studio in 1985," as you suggest.

The Best Overall5
This quartet made a deep impression on me. I have listened to performances by Quartetto Italiano, Emerson, Amadeus, Cleveland, Lindsey, Vegh, Budapest and others and although each quartet has it's strengths, I believe the Berg Quartet gives the best overall performance of these works.

This remarkable ensemble seems to propel the music forward with a jet-engine thrust, while at the same time paying the greatest attention to detail, without getting lost in the minutia. By comparison, other quartets tend to sound rather square.

If you want depth of feeling, hair raising excitement, and a positively authoritative performance of Beethoven's greatest works, you honestly can't do better than the ABQ.

By the way, did I mention the tone? The tone, the tone, Oh God the tone.

Enjoy.