Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Quartet No. 1 in F major: Allegro con brio
2. Adagio affetusoso ed appassionato
3. Scherzo: Allegro molto
4. Allegro
5. Quartet No. 2 in G: Allegro
6. Adagio cantabile
7. Scherzo: Allegro
8. Allegro molto, quasi Presto
9. Quartet No. 3 in D major: Allegro
10. Andante con moto
11. Allegro
12. Presto

Disc 2:

1. Quartet No. 4 in C Minor: Allegro ma non tanto
2. Andante scherzoso quasi Allegretto
3. Menuetto: Allegro
4. Allegro
5. Quartet No. 5 in A Major: Allegro
6. Menuetto
7. Andante cantabile
8. Allegro
9. Quartet No. 6 in B-flat Major: Allegro con brio
10. Adagio ma non troppo
11. Scherzo: Allegro
12. La Malinconia: Adagio � Allegretto quasi Allegro

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #207412 in Music
• Released on: 2005-08-23
• Number of discs: 2

Album Description
Beethoven's complete early string quartets, Opus 18, performed by the Miro Quartet.

About the Artist
About the Miró Quartet The Miró Quartet has established itself as one of America’s brightest and most exciting young chamber groups: "Playing of this caliber casts light on the path ahead," wrote the New York Times. The quartet has captivated audiences around the world, dazzling listeners with its fiery intensity and mature interpretations of all corners of the repertoire. The quartet has been in residence at highly esteemed institutions, including Lincoln Center and the University of Texas at Austin, and it has been profiled on such television programs as NBC’s Today Show and ABC’s World News Tonight.

Customer Reviews

a fresh take on beethoven...
I initially found it a little strange that of all the string quartet literature available, the Miro had decided on the Beethoven op. 18 SQs. There have already been so many recordings, but somehow the quartet has managed to convince even me, not a huge fan of Beethoven in general, into loving these works. Miro plays with a kind of freakish technical accuracy (even in live performance), but still brings a huge palette of colors and fresh musical ideas to these often recorded and performed quartets. Pay special attention to No. 1 and No. 4.

I highly recommend seeing them play live (as I'm sure Beethoven will make up a staple of their rep for the year), just to see the commanding, yet approachable presence they have as a group on the stage. For students especially, it's a great lesson in chamber music without ever picking up your instrument! All in all, the new CD is a gem, but coming from Miro, I wouldn't expect anything less.

Do Not Hesitate
This is a brilliant interpretation of Beethoven's groundbreaking quartets. The sound provided by Vanguard is first-rate. The play is lively, dead-on rhythmically and all musicians hit every note right in the sweet spot...the cd is very attractively packaged and the liner notes are not stodgy like most liner notes...it is an approach like this to classical masterworks that can possibly attract a new generation of listeners. I have the venerated Emerson String Quartet recording and it is wonderful as well but there is room for this one in any collection. If I could only keep one set, it would be this one for its exhuberance and superb sound quality. My favorite reading for many years was a very old one from the Hungarian Quartet which I bought on vinyl, probably in the late 60's or early 70's. It has been years since I've listened to any vinyl...I am not sure that the Hungarian set could hold up against the Miro's, even if the sonic quality of the recordings were equal, which, unfortunately, they can never be.

Great Recording! But who really needs another Beethoven cycle?
The Miro Quartet certainly brings the noise on this excellent recording of the opus 18 quartets. That being said, while they are great pieces, I'm tired of the opus 18 quartets. I'm looking forward to their late quartets, as you know that they will do a lot more than merely phone in the funk on the Grosse Fugue.