Beethoven: The Middle String Quartets

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: B000003F10
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #64,786 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

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

By 

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

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This review is from: Beethoven: The Middle String Quartets (Audio CD)

Please see my review of the Guarneri Quartet performance of the Early Beethoven String Quartets, which applies to the whole set. One comment on the recordings themselves. I found the CD transfers produced more spatial clarity and as often is the case with transfers from the "Golden Age of Stereo", some of the expansiveness of the sound is lost. These were recorded in the late 60s, when the emphasis was on big, stereo sound with lots of separation and the CD process can be pretty brutal to some of these recordings. However, I certainly did not find them cramped as one reviewer did, and my only other observation, since I have the LPs, is a loss of some warmth, This, to my ear, has been more than compensated by improved spatial placing of the instruments. Altogether taken, they are splendid document and well worth a listen.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The strongest performance by Guarneri of all B's string quartets, May 9, 2006

By 

Gadgester "No Time, No Money" (Mother Earth) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Beethoven: The Middle String Quartets (Audio CD)

These 60s recordings by the Guarneri Quartet are the strongest of Beethoven's string quartets they performed during that period, and possible thereafter. The dark textures of these "middle quartets" by Beethoven are brought out quite well. One reviewer complained about the sound engineering; I disagree. I personally am not a fan of digital recording, which tends to sound mechanical and artificial and lack warmth. These recordings are quite good, although occasionally there is some unevenness. Also, the viola is unfortunately the weakest of this particular band and robs the Beethoven quartets of the middle range, but thankfully not much. In short, if you want to own just one set of Beethoven's middle quartet recordings, this set is it.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stupendous; you must own these., March 27, 2010

By 

T Boyer "seattleparent" (Seattle) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beethoven: The Middle String Quartets (Audio CD)

If you're a quartet player, Beethoven's Opus 130s (Late) are probably the Everest of the repertoire, but the Harp, the Serioso and Rasumovsky quartets are the K2 -- incredibly tough and exposed, with chances everywhere to fall off the cliff. The Guarneri were four world-class players with real soloist ability, and these performances have the raw power that comes from their essentially unlimited virtuosity. Steinhardt would have overpowered a lot of quartets, but Soyer and Tree were just as formidible. These guys in the late 60s were kind of taking the baton from the Budapest Quartet -- so these are damn-the-torpedoes interpretations, very 20th century, anything but restrained and civilized. But that may be exactly where Beethoven was going with the music. It would have been nice if they'd been recorded in a hall instead of a studio, but that was the times...Anyway there is tremendous warmth and passion in the playing. And when the Guarneri crank up the prestos, in the world of string quartets I don't think there is anything to match up with them technically.