Search - Ludwig van Beethoven, Busch Chamber Players :: Beethoven: The Late String Quartets

A Disgraceful Reissue

rater25 | 04/06/2008

(1 out of 5 stars)

"This new "remastering" of the classic Busch Quartet's late Beethoven is more like a savage butchering. In their effort to completely remove the inherent noise of the original 78's, EMI has also removed the entire upper frequency range. At least a third of the original sound is missing.



Who exactly is EMI targeting with this type of reissue? Anyone seriously interested in old recordings knows about the noise inherent in old recording techniques. And absolutely everyone else can tell that these CDs just sound awful.



Luckily, private collectors still hoard their old 78s and companies like Pearl (and others) treat original recordings with respect.



This is not the only recent EMI reissue to sound like this. Tureck's "Goldberg" Variations from 1957 has been given the same treatment. Is this how EMI plans to present and preserve their essential recorded legacy?"

Supreme quartet playing in very listenable sound

Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 04/09/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"What's an innocent reader to do? Here we have one reviewer who's outraged by EMI's remastering of the Busch Quartet's legendary Beethoven while I find it eminently listenable. To my ears the upper third of the higher frequencies hasn't disappeared -- the latest technology doesn't surgically amputate the frequency range, to begin with -- and in place of the dry, boxy sound one associates with the Busch recordings, these have a bit of bloom. Pitch has been nicely stabilized as well. I guess you'll have to hear some samples and decide for yourself. I only want to say that as a veteran listener to historical recordings, these offered less ear fatigue and more pleasure than previous issues I've heard.



As for the readings themselves, the Gramophone's comments still ring true: "The Busch recorded nine of Beethoven's 16 string quartets for HMV and American Columbia during the 1930s and early 1940s. Though other eminent quartet groups recorded Beethoven during this period, none rivalled the Busch's reputation for getting to the heart of Beethoven's inspiration."



P.S. -- Given the variable sources, there is sometimes a bit of residual hiss (as in Op. 132), sometimes none (Op. 131), and violin tone can be a little squeaky or not, depending."

Outstanding performance and recording

Hank | Wisconsin | 04/17/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This performance is simply in a class by itself. The Busch Quartet plays with complete selflessness as they are very dedicated to the music and do not exhibit mere 'showmanship' which was common in their day and in ours. One reviewer criticized the sound quality - I have the EMI records from some years ago which was the earlier transfer - I think the sound of the CD is different in the sense that it has a more forward sound-stage and with the mono sound this may make it sound a bit constricted at first, but this passes quickly as you listen -the range is very good, the clarity is excellent, and overall I like listening to these transfers quite a bit more than I did to the records. My recommendation is to get these recordings right away and if you are a fan of the late quartets your ears will be opened to a much deeper level of interpretation and you will hear sensitive and profound readings of these masterpieces."