Customer Reviews

Beethoven: Late String Quartets, Vol. 2

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

The late quartets are undoubtedly the most revolutionary works Beethoven ever penned. Not only do they totally break the structural mold by having more than just four movements, they also introduce new harmonic, melodic, and contrapuntal techniques which Beethoven uses to elicit extremes in emotion, the likes of which music had previously never experienced. Beethoven said of his late quartets that they were not meant for his time but rather another time. Perhaps now is that time. We have come to an age where we can finally begin to understand the emotion and sentiment that this music is infused with, and we can finally appreciate these masterpieces that his contemporaries viewed as nothing more than the last attempts of a deaf man to keep his legacy alive. These quartets are simply spectacular, and the Quarteto Italiano do an incredible job of playing these masterpieces. They play the music immaculately and they bring for the emotional extremes that Beethoven intended. The playing is really just perfect. I guess the one issue with these recordings is that they're from the 1970s, which means that there is a slight balance issue (as with all recordings of the era) in that the treble is slightly more emphasized than the ever important bass. However, this is a minor blemish and is not enough to detract from the overall good sound quality and the exceptional playing. This is a recommended CD, as is its sister CD, which features the incredible Grosse Fuge.

I first purchased these performances of the late quartets on vinyl back in the early to mid 1970's. I have listened to these wonderful performances many times over the years, and I just don't get tired of them. I have four of five other versions of the Beethoven quartets, and certainly, there are other great recordings of these works, but for clarity, precsion, attack, pesuasive power, sheer beauty of sound, I just keep coming back to the QI. At a cost of two CD's for the price of one, this is a terrific deal on arguably the best version of these quartets ever recorded. I can't think of any reason not to purchase this -- except that you can buy a boxed set of all the quartets for about [price].

One of the truly amazing recordings of one of Beethoven's greatest works. The quartet plays with simplicity, eloquence and with a lyrical tone that few can hope to match. Each of the movements is carefully crafted, and the playing is a window into the composer's soul, as also the wonderful interplay between the members of the quartets. I especially love the adagio, where each theme is a shining gem; these players imbue it with a brilliance that makes me breathless for more.

These are recordings I return to again and again. These are performances that combine eloquence and passion, and the sound quality is wonderful despite the intervening years. The spacious distribution of this set (four discs instead of three) and the low price should make this reissue still more attractive. But make no mistake, these performances are topnotch and set a standard that few even approach.

A Great performance of these truly beautiful string quartets, I simply love this CD. These two string quartets that Beethoven composed in his latter years are stunning and though every track on this CD is amazing the one track that stuck out to me the most was the third movement of the string quartet in A minor (op.132) the first time I heard this piece of music I was mesmerized.

Listen to the previews of #15 BEFORE PURCHASING!!!
I downloaded this and instead of Quartet No. 15 (the one I most wanted, but of course all are great) was NOT the Quartet at all! It was a Baroque group of Arias, -very nice, BUT NOT even BEETHOVEN! I complained to Amazon, who returned my money and said I could repurchase and it would be corrected "in a week or two." This was yesterday, March, 6, 2011. How are we to know when the problem is "corrected???" I don't know, but BEWARE! at least for the next 2 weeks!

Playing the previews again now, it is NOT Beethoven, even now, so you will probably be okay if more than 2 weeks after Mar 6, 2011 and the previews are of the Beethoven... but if not, DO NOT PURCHASE!

I purchased both Vols 1+2 of these late Beethoven Quartets and Grosse Fugue. The playing is impeccable. However you should be CAREFUL that the Quartet #15 is not a Beethoven string quartet. It is some mis-linked baroque era vocal music accompanied by harpsichord.

I got a refund from Amazon but because other sites have the same MP3s in error, they will continue to sell this item as is--beware! Buy the CD!!!!!

I purchased both Vols 1+2 of these late Beethoven Quartets and Grosse Fugue. The playing is impeccable. However you should be CAREFUL that the Quartet #15 is not a Beethoven string quartet. It is some mis-linked baroque era vocal music accompanied by harpsichord.

Even more interesting is that Amazon has no way to contact them for digital orders. You can't leave seller feedback, send email or otherwise return or even tell them that their digital store has a cross-linked download. Hopefully they will see this review and contact everyone who has recently purchased this item. I purchased it on May 15, and just noticed the error. As of May 24 you can sample the music and see that Quartet #15 is still not Beethoven.
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Amazon, IF YOU'RE LISTENING.... Pls contact everyone who has purchased this in error. It also would not hurt to put some sort of contact or feedback link on your digital orders. As much as I love Amazon.com, it's not perfect.

This incredible music is available on numerous recordings. Some are good e.g. Busch, Lindsay. But none compare to those of the Italian Quartet. It is hard to believe that this recording of this music could ever be surpassed.

I agree with the other reviewers. These are exceptional performances and the sound quality is quite good. Just listen to the excerpts and you will hear how beautiful they sound. Beethoven would be proud of these performers.