Search - Ludwig van Beethoven, Alban Berg Quartet :: Beethoven: String Quartets Op. 18

Live recordings

jennal24 | iceland | 04/01/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"These are live recordings with studio level sound (and for the record zero audience distraction (coughs, etc.). The only thing that really gives evidence of a live audience are the applause at the end of each quartet. The quartets also follow in numerical order as well (which is a plus for some people). If you're new to Beethoven quartet recordings the Alban Berg Quartet are a standard choice, and you won't be disappointed in any way with this new release of the Op. 18 quartets. They're taken from one of their two complete sets, both of which were very critically acclaimed. It's like recommending a Mercedes I suppose..."

"Geniality, depth and humanity"

Bahij Bawarshi | Beirut, Lebanon | 01/09/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Tully Potter, who writes about chamber music and musicians, says in the liner notes, "These are performances of geniality, depth and humanity ..." Which perfectly describes in a few words this recording of Beethoven's String Quartets Op. 18. In 1989 a first-rate ensemble interpreted wonderful scores and produced the refined performances that have elicited Potter's gracious words. Beethoven, not yet 30 when he wrote the quartets, was already aware he was gradually losing his hearing - the noblest faculty, he called it - and it affected him. The breadth of emotions in these quartets is telling. Beethoven expresses distress and optimism, placidness and vigor, melancholy and joy. Alban Berg Quartet's usual warm and polished tone, coupled with good recording technology, makes for an enjoyable listening experience. I get the impression that ABQ has special affinity with these works, enhanced perhaps in that the players performed them live (at the Vienna Konzerthaus). The audience's applause in greeting and at the end of each quartet adds to the atmosphere; EMI's decision not to edit it out is commendable, in my opinion. Some scholars who have studied Beethoven's sketchbooks maintain that the quartets were actually composed in the order 3-1-2-5-6-4. The quartet published as no. 1 was placed first, supposedly because Beethoven considered it the most imposing of the six; and in fact, in terms of emotional intensity, it stands apart from the rest, particularly so the Adagio second movement. The one published as no. 6 was placed last because the substantial, melancholic introduction to the last movement, arguably reflecting the composer's emotional state at the time, went beyond the "early" Beethoven of opus 18, anticipating his much later quartets. The sorrowful theme of the introduction breaks in twice more in the course of the music; yet it speaks of Beethoven's strength of character that it is not melancholy but joy in the form of a German dance (alla tedesca) that finally triumphs and concludes the movement, the quartet and the opus as a whole. The other quartets in between 1 and 6 are all fine works, be it the delightful, seemingly simple (actually, artful) no. 2, the generally quiet no. 3, or the confident and lively (subdued Menuetto notwithstanding) no. 4. At this time, my favorite may well be no. 5, with its remarkable group of variations on a theme in the third movement (marked "pastoral" by Beethoven). Overall, an admirable offering.



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