Beethoven's String Quartets

[George]

For me:

Sets
Quartetto Italiano
Endellion
Julliard 1960s
Vegh Stereo

[vers la flamme]

I have the Juilliard in my To Be Listened To pile.
And I just ordered the Talich.

The Takacs is available in three smaller sets (Early, Middle, Late) for about $90. That's the way I have them: multi CD sets in jewel boxes.  I don't consider that an unreasonable price, but I recognize it may not fit into the budget.

I'm sure it's worth it, they're a great quartet, but that would be my whole music budget for the month and then some. I can't justify it, I don't like the Beethoven quartets THAT much.

Actually, I pulled the trigger on the Belcea Quartet set last night. I liked a lot what I had been sampling. They're clearly a talented quartet and this set seems lyrical and incisive.

[staxomega]

You used to be able to get the Takacs cycle CD set with video performances at a budget price. I gave it a second go really trying to like it since all of their members have flawless intonation and I couldn't enjoy it. For my tastes I'll take nice old school interpretations with just minor intonation issues (first Lindsays, Italians, Vegh stereo, Budapest mono a bit more than I'd like but exceptional interpretation wise, etc) over Takacs' style. It's just too cool for my taste. Their Bartok cycle is a bit better but still with the number exceptional Bartok recordings there are I don't listen to them much either. Prazak were another newer one I had in my heavy rotation recently, another extremely proficient group but the dynamic exaggerations was too much for me.

[SonicMan46]

Boy, I've been culling/replacing Ludwig's SQs for years - so many good ones out there - at present, I own two complete sets (top images) and the Opus 18 works w/ Quatuor Mosaïques - unless 'something' new & spectacular comes along, these should serve me well.  Dave

 

   

[Ratliff]

I'm sure it's worth it, they're a great quartet, but that would be my whole music budget for the month and then some. I can't justify it, I don't like the Beethoven quartets THAT much.

Actually, I pulled the trigger on the Belcea Quartet set last night. I liked a lot what I had been sampling. They're clearly a talented quartet and this set seems lyrical and incisive.

Belcea is great. I got it as a lossless download.

My first set that made me fall in love with the late quartets was the LaSalle, which sounded great on vinyl, but really strident on the CD release.

[SurprisedByBeauty]

Bump. I have been listening to some Beethoven quartets lately, mostly the Kodály Quartet on Naxos, who are very, very good in op.130, op.131 and op.135 (but that's all I've heard) and the Colorado String Quartet. I got their set on MP3 for extremely cheap, $1 I think, but the performances are actually quite good. But I'm thinking of branching out and getting a second complete set.

A couple have piqued my interest: the Belcea Quartet, the Alban Berg Quartet, the Takács Quartet (though they have been eliminated from the running on account of their set being too expensive), the Hungarian Quartet. Just trying to sample all these (and the others) here and there to decide which one is for me, which is a delicate balance while trying also not to become extremely sick of the music. 

Who all has been listening to the Beethoven SQs lately?

Never eliminate the Takács. https://www.classicstoday.com/review/the-reference-the-takacs-quartets-beethoven-cycle/ They are absolutely splendid: The Alban Berg's perfection coupled with old-world bite and vigor and whim. Definitely not cold (as per a comment above) in my book; for cold, go to the Emmersons. (Or Belcea --although I quite like them-- or even Artemis.)

Don't know if you know my survey of all such sets (https://ionarts.blogspot.com/2017/10/a-survey-of-beethoven-string-quartet.html) -- although survey is not to mistaken for "comparison". It's just a list of all sets ever made (a few need to be added again) and comments and, where appropriate, links to reviews. Still, it might be helpful.

Distler just reviewed the re-issue of the 60s Juilliard set on ClassicsToday.

I don't think I would go for the Hungarian Quartet, for a historic cycle... though I do appreciate their playing. I'd go just one step further into modernity and go with the Quatuor Vegh (four Hungarians in Paris) and here with their latter set on Valois/Naive.

I've also been enchanted with the very different but intriguing Beethoven of the Quatuor Mosaiques. A short review of the late quartets can be found on my Best-of-the-Year list from 2017: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jenslaurson/2017/12/13/the-10-best-classical-recordings-of-2017/#7c645288ebca

A perennially overlooked cycle is the one of the Gewandhaus Quartet Leipzig. Very inexpensive. Very good!

[vers la flamme]

Never eliminate the Takács. https://www.classicstoday.com/review/the-reference-the-takacs-quartets-beethoven-cycle/ They are absolutely splendid: The Alban Berg's perfection coupled with old-world bite and vigor and whim. Definitely not cold (as per a comment above) in my book; for cold, go to the Emmersons. (Or Belcea --although I quite like them-- or even Artemis.)

Don't know if you know my survey of all such sets (https://ionarts.blogspot.com/2017/10/a-survey-of-beethoven-string-quartet.html) -- although survey is not to mistaken for "comparison". It's just a list of all sets ever made (a few need to be added again) and comments and, where appropriate, links to reviews. Still, it might be helpful.

Distler just reviewed the re-issue of the 60s Juilliard set on ClassicsToday.

I don't think I would go for the Hungarian Quartet, for a historic cycle... though I do appreciate their playing. I'd go just one step further into modernity and go with the Quatuor Vegh (four Hungarians in Paris) and here with their latter set on Valois/Naive.

I've also been enchanted with the very different but intriguing Beethoven of the Quatuor Mosaiques. A short review of the late quartets can be found on my Best-of-the-Year list from 2017: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jenslaurson/2017/12/13/the-10-best-classical-recordings-of-2017/#7c645288ebca

A perennially overlooked cycle is the one of the Gewandhaus Quartet Leipzig. Very inexpensive. Very good!

Your choices (Takács, Mosaïques and Vegh) are way out of my budget; great as I'm sure they are, I had no choice but to eliminate them. Maybe in 10 years I'll have enough disposable income to justify spending $80-$200 (in the case of the Vegh...!) on a Beethoven string quartets set, but not today. I ended up ordering the Belcea set. I really enjoyed what I was hearing and I expect it's worthwhile, my only concern is that it may be a bit too far on the clean-cut side. But that's OK. I think I'll be set for now, though I do still want to get a more historic set at some point in the future. The Hungarians and the Budapest are still high in the running there.

[Jo498]

The Vegh stereo set is very hard to find, I think. There was a re-issue box several years ago but it went oop fast. I'd say the Vegh are more "old world" (and more distinctive in any case) than the Hungarian in some respects. But the Hungarian mono is very cheap and easy to find and the Hungarian stereo maybe as well in the older french cheap set.

I didn't like the one disc I had with the Mosaiques early Qts. but there are two HIP op.18 sets that are both very good, Smithsonian/dhm and Turner/french harmonia mundi. Maybe both oop, though. I stopped buying this stuff mostly before Takacs and Artemis were complete but I have a couple of the latter and also one volume with the Casals. But my favorite of the recentish/active Quartets are the Hagen DG recordings (and maybe there more recent on the other label as well but I have only the 59/2, not the one with op.18 and 135).
Not too budget friendly, but the Hagen op. 95 (even more for the coupling D 887), op.131/18,4, 130/133 (despite missing alternate finale) and 18,1/59,1 would be very highly recommended by me.

[JBS]

The first Vegh mono can be had this way
[asin]B073SM545D[/asin]

I managed to not pull the trigger, since all the vendors are unknown to me.

[vers la flamme]

The first Vegh mono can be had this way
[asin]B073SM545D[/asin]

I managed to not pull the trigger, since all the vendors are unknown to me.

Wow, that's really cheap and contains the Bartók quartets too. Tempting. Though I've heard that it's really rough in sound.

[Ratliff]

The Vegh stereo set is very hard to find, I think.

I kick myself for having the stereo Vegh and selling it off years ago, before it became impossible to find.

[San Antone]

This is why I like to stream music.  All of the sets that have been mentioned are on Spotify, except for the stereo Vegh box.

I happen to own both Vegh sets, as well as the Takacs but streaming them is how I listen nowadays; it's just more convenient.

[SurprisedByBeauty]

Your choices (Takács, Mosaïques and Vegh) are way out of my budget; great as I'm sure they are, I had no choice but to eliminate them. Maybe in 10 years I'll have enough disposable income to justify spending $80-$200 (in the case of the Vegh...!) on a Beethoven string quartets set, but not today. I ended up ordering the Belcea set. I really enjoyed what I was hearing and I expect it's worthwhile, my only concern is that it may be a bit too far on the clean-cut side. But that's OK. I think I'll be set for now, though I do still want to get a more historic set at some point in the future. The Hungarians and the Budapest are still high in the running there.

True and sorry: I didn't really consider price. But part of the reason is that I always figure that, with some patience, you'll find a great deal on them eventually. As did I on the Vegh, for example. I couldn't spend big bucks on such sets, either... although for a really good thing where I know prices are not likely to fluctuate, I might save up.

But speaking of great sets and a good price, apart from the aforementioned Gewandhaus... there's another Old World style set that I'd prefer to all but the Vegh, perhaps, and that's the Talich. And that's to be had for a song, these days, in the beautiful (!!!)  La Dolce Volta re-issue.

[Ratliff]

I'll repeat like a broken record, for old world warmth and modern sound, I go for the Vermeer Quartet. The full box set, formerly a bargain, is out of print and crazy expensive, but the original issues can be found.

[Brian]

I'll repeat like a broken record, for old world warmth and modern sound, I go for the Vermeer Quartet. The full box set, formerly a bargain, is out of print and crazy expensive, but the original issues can be found.

I bet Erato reissues that this year. It's too good to be held down. Like you say, old world warmth and luxury.

[Gurn Blanston]

True and sorry: I didn't really consider price. But part of the reason is that I always figure that, with some patience, you'll find a great deal on them eventually. As did I on the Vegh, for example. I couldn't spend big bucks on such sets, either... although for a really good thing where I know prices are not likely to fluctuate, I might save up.

But speaking of great sets and a good price, apart from the aforementioned Gewandhaus... there's another Old World style set that I'd prefer to all but the Vegh, perhaps, and that's the Talich. And that's to be had for a song, these days, in the beautiful (!!!)  La Dolce Volta re-issue.

Jens,

I had heard a rumor that the Mosaiques would be releasing an Opus 59 set. Had you heard anything about that? That would be wonderful!

[SonicMan46]

Jens,

I had heard a rumor that the Mosaiques would be releasing an Opus 59 set. Had you heard anything about that? That would be wonderful!

Gurn et al - as shown previously, I have just the Op 18 works by the Q. Mosaïques - the later quartets by this group shown below pique my interest - a steep $32 USD @ Amazon USA (maybe cheaper elsewhere?) - would like opinions of those that may own this set - thanks.  Dave

[JBS]

Gurn et al - as shown previously, I have just the Op 18 works by the Q. Mosaïques - the later quartets by this group shown below pique my interest - a steep $32 USD @ Amazon USA (maybe cheaper elsewhere?) - would like opinions of those that may own this set - thanks.  Dave

I think it's worth getting.

BTW, the Quartetto Italiano cycle is available for less than $40 on Amazon...that's the cycle that introduced me not merely to Beethoven's string quartets, but string quartets in general.

[JBS]

True and sorry: I didn't really consider price. But part of the reason is that I always figure that, with some patience, you'll find a great deal on them eventually. As did I on the Vegh, for example. I couldn't spend big bucks on such sets, either... although for a really good thing where I know prices are not likely to fluctuate, I might save up.

But speaking of great sets and a good price, apart from the aforementioned Gewandhaus... there's another Old World style set that I'd prefer to all but the Vegh, perhaps, and that's the Talich. And that's to be had for a song, these days, in the beautiful (!!!)  La Dolce Volta re-issue.

I ordered that last night...

[vers la flamme]

I think it's worth getting.

BTW, the Quartetto Italiano cycle is available for less than $40 on Amazon...that's the cycle that introduced me not merely to Beethoven's string quartets, but string quartets in general.

Wow, it is going for cheap now, the QI. Damn. Last I checked it was going for more than that. I'm sure that is a fantastic set too.