Search - Beethoven, Vermeer Quartet :: Late String Quartets 12-16

The tone of humility, exactly as the Master intended

Ramon Kranzkuper | Gainesville, FL | 07/27/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It is really strange, like one other reviewer said, that the Vermeer Quartet's late quartets recording has been so underreviewed. The question is one of expressivity. Rather, the question should NOT be of expressivity:There are bound to be two camps of listeners, one that thinks of these quartets as not too different from any other Beethoven quartets, and the other that can see plainly that these five quartets - especially, of course, op. 131, 132 and 130 in that order - are something that are different from all the rest of music.To the first camp, I would say, go ahead and get any recording currently available - yes, the Lindsays have superb sound and "finish", the Budapest have that typically-Budapest smooth flow, and so on.But to the other camp - members of which, I hope, this review will be of value to - I must say that ONLY, repeat, ONLY, the Vermeer Quartet plays with that tone that is not merely appropriate, but necessary, for the late quartets. The word I would use to describe that tone is "humility".In op. 131, for example - when the Master's mystical vision is revealed to Man - only the Vermeer's quiet, unassuming tone, completely devoid of embellishments, gives the impression of a genuine - and a genuinely spiritual - interpretation. In the Heiliger Dankgesang, for example, when the theme returns yet again for the fourth time, it is only in the Vermeer recording that I have perceived that infinite patience.When power and passion are appropriate - for example, of course, in the last movement of op. 131 - it is ONLY the Vermeer that shows the mature understanding that here, power and passion have been sublimated from the music to the vision. Unhesitatingly, I would state the Vermeer's performance of the late quartets as the standard, akin to Barenboim for the middle sonatas, or Karajan for the symphonies."

'Tis a pity no one has yet reviewed this recording

Craig Whitney | where I hang my cat. | 06/18/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As above, I find it hard to believe no one has yet reviewed the Vermeer Quartet's recording of these works. It is absolutely heartbreaking that such a fine recording should be so unheard."

Some nice things, but falls short

D. Fry | 10/28/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Based on the reviews, I eagerly anticipated this performance. While there are some nice moments, the performances suffer on several counts. For one thing, this recording seems to be somewhat harsh, too closely miked, and lacking in midrange/bass. On another count, while the players are individually very fine, especially the tonal contributions of Richard Young's viola, which is amazing, this is not a unified string quartet sound, in my opinion. Another example: In the Heiliger Dankgesang movement of Op. 132, which is frequently done with little vibrato (this section is a conscious evocation of earlier music), Vermeer uses none and there is no luminosity to the sound. I would recommend the Alban Berg Quartet on the Borodin Quartet over this recording."