Beethoven's String Quartets

Started by marvinbrown, July 14, 2007, 02:29:06 PM

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DarkAngel

I placed on order for the Suske late Beethoven SQ couple days ago.........waiting


snyprrr

As I mentioned In the ABQ Thread, I heard an example (Late Qrts.) of their "bad" Beethoven cycle, the one whose recording seems to effect the areas of the brain relating to balance (meaning,... it's wobbleville,... or,... something funny strange). Oh,... and the harshness. Ick! Like an echo chamber.



I was also surprised to see the Borodan Quartet on Chandos playing Op.18 (the original lineup). I listened to a few favorite bits, but,...mmm,...eh,...what am I going to say? I'll be polite and just say the recording alone wouldn't make me a fan. I mean, the field is engorged, bloated, pulsating, if you will, throbbing with Op.18s!!! I'll listen to No.4 again, just in case of prejudice, which I have, because I just can't imagine them,...uh,.. stop....

Truly, with the Suske as my guides, I am afraid to listen to other versions. I want to hear the "good" ABQ cycle, but I imagine they still won't be as supremely anointed as the Suske. As one of you said, ABQ + Vegh = Suske.

Beethoven was so easy for me, not like that other guy... ::)

premont

Quote from: George on September 26, 2009, 07:51:32 PM
I believe Andy D has spoken highly of their Beethoven. You may wish to PM him.

As far as I know, Valentino knows the Endellion set rather well. I own it, but I have not listened to much of it so far, as I within a few months acquired about twenty complete LvB string quartet sets to listen to. At the moment my favorite is the Suske quartet, and I can confirm Snyprrr´s statement, that this is exceptional.
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The new erato

Where to find the Suske currently?

premont

Quote from: erato on December 05, 2009, 09:40:43 AM
Where to find the Suske currently?

Difficult task, since it at the moment is OOP.

I acquired my item from Amazon.fr. marketplace a few months ago.

But Amazon.de marketplace has got some offers.

http://www.amazon.de/gp/offer-listing/B0002Z851Y/ref=dp_olp_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1260039984&sr=1-13&condition=all
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Antoine Marchand

Quote from: premont on December 05, 2009, 06:16:11 AM
... as I within a few months acquired about twenty complete LvB string quartet sets to listen to.

Any particular reason to purchase that enormous number of complete sets in a brief period of time?  :)

snyprrr

Yes, [;ease. Full disclosure, with reviews pending! :D

premont

Quote from: Antoine Marchand on December 05, 2009, 10:36:55 AM
Any particular reason to purchase that enormous number of complete sets in a brief period of time?  :)

A completist does not need particular reasons. 8)

BTW some of them were OOP and difficult to get hold of f.i. (Budapest Qt., Suske Qt.,  Talich Qt.), and I wanted to get them in time, others I got on sales (Amadeus Qt., Lindsay Qt. I and II) , and for a little less then half of them I payed the full price.
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Antoine Marchand

Quote from: premont on December 05, 2009, 11:03:40 AM
A completist does not need particular reasons. 8)

BTW some of them were OOP and difficult to get hold of f.i. (Budapest Qt., Suske Qt.,  Talich Qt.), and I wanted to get them in time...

We -the completists- are fearful people; expressions like OOP are true nightmares.  ;)

Air

Quote from: snyprrr on December 04, 2009, 09:38:01 PM
As I mentioned In the ABQ Thread, I heard an example (Late Qrts.) of their "bad" Beethoven cycle, the one whose recording seems to effect the areas of the brain relating to balance (meaning,... it's wobbleville,... or,... something funny strange). Oh,... and the harshness. Ick! Like an echo chamber.

Which one is this?
"Summit or death, either way, I win." ~ Robert Schumann

Herman

Perhaps there's something wrong with Snips' audio kit.

ccar

#291
The musical richness of these works is certainly much greater than any interpretation values.  And with so many wonderful readings we can keep enjoying them in almost as many different and interesting ways.
         
Like many I have been trying to explore various ensembles over the years. For a while I always tend to prefer one or two over the others. Some give me more the sense of roughness and contrasts, some the plastic beauty of the musical colors and textures and others the beauty of the singing and phrasing.   And as my mood changes I will go on listening to different groups.  Sometimes the Hungarians for their directness or the Veghs for the rusticity of the contrasts and colors. But I also like to flirt with the Italian, the Julliards, the Smetanas, the Hollywood, the  Vlach, the Yale or the opulent russian sound of the Beethoven.

But I must confess. Because (fortunately !)  I'm not at all dependent on the modern "sonics" of the recordings, most of the time I indulge myself and continue to "discover" the Beethoven Quartets by the hand of the Busch and the Budapest Quartets.

For comparative listening the Budapest Quartet is particularly interesting because they "evolved" with different members over almost 50 years and we can listen how their  Beethoven SQ interpretation also changed (there are at least 6 different recorded periods/versions of the Budapest/ Beethoven SQ  –  1927 (HMV), 1930's(HMV), 1940-45 (Columbia), 1951-52 (Columbia-complete), 1958-61 (Columbia-complete) and  1940-60 (Library of Congress). 


    

Mandryka

#292
These are the ones which have given me the most fun recently:

Op 14a -- New Music ( :) )
Op 18s --  Leipzig. And  a live one by the Smetanas. I also like the Budapest in these.
Op 59/1-- Schneiderhan
Op 59/2 – Janacek
Op 59/3 – New Music
Op 129 –  Tatrai (it's an amaeur transfer from LP which someone mailed me.) ; Also the Itallians. This is my favourite Beethoven quartet.
Op 130 –  Smetana
Op 131 – Juillliard (Testament), Schneiderhan.
Op 132 – Lindsays. Also  Hollywood -- Hollywood do a great job in the second movement I think.
Op 133 -- Smetana

Overall I have listened to the Lindsays set a lot over the past couple of years -- I love it for its energy and drama. I don't mind that the ensemble is a bit ragged at all.

The list above is apart from the Lindsays. Except for Op 132 because the Lindsay's  Heiliger Dankgesang puts it in the superleague.

I don't much like the Razumowskies at all, so maybe my judgement is not to be trusted for them.


Can someone recommend a good Harp Quartet?
Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

Herman

Interesting. In my view the Smetana's 130 is not so great, while their 127 is simply stunning.

Mandryka

Quote from: Herman on December 06, 2009, 03:00:16 AM
Interesting. In my view the Smetana's 130 is not so great, while their 127 is simply stunning.

Same old story with me and you. Still -- it's nice to know someone who is exploring the same stuff.

I can see why you like their 127 though -- I just said that I have been enjoying the Italians and the bootleg Tatrai.

Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

snyprrr

Quote from: RexRichter on December 05, 2009, 12:25:51 PM
Which one is this?

Early '80s. Not "live". Pic of group on cover.  I'm still confused concerning the multiplicity of re-issues of both versions (studio & live). Take a look a Herman's post on the last page.

Brian

I am expecting my box set of the Endellions to arrive within the next few days (it shipped from England on Nov 25...). It will be my very first exposure to all but one of the Beethoven string quartets! (But one: Op 59 No 1; heard this live with the Tokyo SQ.) It was originally going to be my second set, but MDT couldn't find a copy of the ABQ. I sampled the Endellions and liked their "sound," but, since I know nothing of all but one of the quartets and have only heard the other once, live, there will be (a) lots of exploring to do, and (b) lots of time in the years to come to understand what makes each group of interpreters different from the others and what insight each of them brings.

:)

Coopmv

Quote from: Brian on December 06, 2009, 06:33:36 PM
I am expecting my box set of the Endellions to arrive within the next few days (it shipped from England on Nov 25...). It will be my very first exposure to all but one of the Beethoven string quartets! (But one: Op 59 No 1; heard this live with the Tokyo SQ.) It was originally going to be my second set, but MDT couldn't find a copy of the ABQ. I sampled the Endellions and liked their "sound," but, since I know nothing of all but one of the quartets and have only heard the other once, live, there will be (a) lots of exploring to do, and (b) lots of time in the years to come to understand what makes each group of interpreters different from the others and what insight each of them brings.

:)

Brian,  So you are moving into LvB SQ big-time?  I only have the set by alban berg quartet.  The sound and performance are both decent IMO ...


Herman

just to avoid further confusion: the box pictured above is the cheapo collection of the early eighties recordings.

very good VFM, though one could say that techincally things come so easy for the ABQ one misses some form of hardship in the performance.

Scarpia

It doesn't seem to be a popular opinion, but I think the set by the Vermeer Quartet on Teldec is tops.