Beethoven: The Early String Quartets, Op. 18

Ludwig van Beethoven (Composer), Guarneri Quartet (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Guarneri Quartet
• Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven
• Audio CD (October 10, 1990)
• Number of Discs: 3
• Label: RCA
• ASIN: B000003F0Z
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #218,325 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. String Quartet No. 1 in F major, Op. 18/1: Allegro con brio

2. String Quartet No. 1 in F major, Op. 18/1: Adagio affetuoso ed appassionato

3. String Quartet No. 1 in F major, Op. 18/1: Scherzo, Allegro molto

4. String Quartet No. 1 in F major, Op. 18/1: Allegro

5. String Quartet No. 2 in G major ('Compliments'), Op. 18/2: Allegro

6. String Quartet No. 2 in G major ('Compliments'), Op. 18/2: Adagio cantabile

See all 12 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. String Quartet No. 4 in C minor, Op. 18/4: Allegro, ma non tanto

2. String Quartet No. 4 in C minor, Op. 18/4: Scherzo, Andante scherzoso, quasi Allegretto

3. String Quartet No. 4 in C minor, Op. 18/4: Menuetto, Allegretto

4. String Quartet No. 4 in C minor, Op. 18/4: Allegro

5. String Quartet No. 5 in A major, Op. 18/5: Allegro

6. String Quartet No. 5 in A major, Op. 18/5: Menuetto

See all 8 tracks on this disc

Disc: 3

1. String Quartet No. 6 in B flat major, Op. 18/6: Allegro con brio

2. String Quartet No. 6 in B flat major, Op. 18/6: Adagio, ma non troppo

3. String Quartet No. 6 in B flat major, Op. 18/6: Scherzo, Allegro

4. String Quartet No. 6 in B flat major, Op. 18/6: La Malinconia, Adagio - Allegretto quasi Allegro

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding '60s Performances of the Giants of the Quartets, September 15, 2001

By 

Frank "the man" (Alberta Canada) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Beethoven: The Early String Quartets, Op. 18 (Audio CD)

I have always been a fan of the Guarneri String Quartet recordings of the late 60s. Arnold Steinhardt and John Dalley, violins; Michael Tree, viola; and David Soyer, cello; recorded this Beethoven gem in the golden age of "Stereophonic Sound". Beethoven String Quartet recordings are a crowded field with many stellar players and the Guarneri were among the top Quartets of their day; in my opinion, right along side the Amadeus and the Quartetto Italiano. For me, these performances just seem to come together. It has a Toscanini-like cut to the chase and maybe it is the tempi that seem so right. They are vibrant, exciting performances, not unlike the exciting times during which they were recorded! When I listen to these, I can conjure images of the Guarneri playing in a University recital hall, with the young, long-haired, bearded boomer students as an audience, trying to intellectualy come to grips with music as relevant in the late 60s as when composed 150 years earlier. The times then were exciting and I find it reflected in the playing.

There are two companion 3 CD sets of the Middle and Late Quartets as well that I highly recommend, before all three disappear from RCA/BMG's catalogue. BMG, which gave us 10 years of suberb re-issues on CD of works from the 40s-70s, seem to have gone comatose lately and rumour has it their catalogue is to be slashed by 50%. With recent digital recordings of Beethoven, in the BMG inventory, by the Tokyo Quartet, the Guarneri recordings may not survive. Included is an essay long out of print (which should offset any complaints about the higher cost) by America's finest musicologist-journalist of the times, the late B.H. Haggin, on Beethoven and the String Quartet.

The recordings are excellent and RCA, despite never being regarded as a heavyweight in the chamber music field, made some splendid acoustical documents in the 1960s under legendary engineers like Richard Gardner who recorded this set. Often under-rated when compared to European recordings, sonically, the Quartet playing jumps off the disc into your living room! There is a spaciousness of sound and the string playing is lush, full, and never edgy. Since I have the LPs as well for comparison, there is more clarity in the CD transfer. The LPs were superb for their time and may have more warmth, but the CDs pinpoint, spatially, the playing much better which gives added dimension to these great works. If BMG is listening, why not re-release the whole set in Living Stereo in a caplet box?

8 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Best beethoven string quartet recording ever", June 22, 2000

By 

cindychay (United state) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beethoven: The Early String Quartets, Op. 18 (Audio CD)

As quartet playing, this recording is almost perfect; the Guarneri even conquer the superhuman hurdles posed by the Grosse Fuge. The Guarneri surely rank among the finest [string quartets] now before the public. Excellent presence and definition.