Beethoven: String Quartets Op. 59, Nos. 1 & 2

Ludwig van Beethoven (Performer), Boris Kroyt (Artist), Joseph Roisman (Orchestra), Alexander Schneider (Artist), Mischa Schneider (Artist), Budapest String Quartet (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Ludwig van Beethoven
• Orchestra: Joseph Roisman
• Audio CD (August 19, 1991)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B0000027B3
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #47,212 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. String Quartet No. 7 in F major ('Rasumovsky No. 1'), Op. 59/1: Allegro

2. String Quartet No. 7 in F major ('Rasumovsky No. 1'), Op. 59/1: Allegretto vivace e sempre scherzando

3. String Quartet No. 7 in F major ('Rasumovsky No. 1'), Op. 59/1: Adagio molto e mesto

4. String Quartet No. 7 in F major ('Rasumovsky No. 1'), Op. 59/1: Allegro

5. String Quartet No. 8 in E minor ('Rasumovsky No. 2'), Op. 59/2: Allegro

6. String Quartet No. 8 in E minor ('Rasumovsky No. 2'), Op. 59/2: Molto Adagio

7. String Quartet No. 8 in E minor ('Rasumovsky No. 2'), Op. 59/2: Allegretto

8. String Quartet No. 8 in E minor ('Rasumovsky No. 2'), Op. 59/2: Finale, Presto

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you don't know the Quartets, you don't know Beethoven!, January 12, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Beethoven: String Quartets Op. 59, Nos. 1 & 2 (Audio CD)

Beethoven is known, of course, most widely for his symphonies, and then his concerti and sonatas. But he also wrote what is arguably the greatest body of chamber music on the planet, and that's saying a lot, with competition like Haydn and Mozart. But no other cycle in his work is more quintessential, more archetypically "Beethoven"-- than the string quartets. Written largely in three bundles, early on in his career, a the height of the most popular "Second Period", and at the very end of his life, they are the greatest cycle of chamber music ever composed. And just as the "Eroica" was the watershed of the Second style in his symphonic output, so the three "Razumovsky" Quartets of Opus 59 are to this chamber works. This disc has two of the three, Op. 59 no. 1 in F Major and Op. 59 no. 2 in E Minor. And what a disc it is! Some critics-- notably the Penguin Guide, never very sympathetic to the "American" interpretive style -- have been niggardly with their praise. But I find this recording the very best of these two magnificent works. Their concentration in the tense and terse E Minor is wonderful; their rendition of the F Major is, simply, second to none. The first movement -- a distinct parallel to that of the Third Symphony -- is rich, rhapsodic, wonderfully interpreted. And the second movement! This is one of Beethoven's most amazing pieces, a remarkable creation, like nothing else he (or anyone else) ever wrote: part scherzo, part sonata-allegro, part rondo, and transcending them all: a mercurial, otherwordly, kaleidoscopic piece of razor sharp wit, here played to the Nth Degree! There are other great recordings of these works -- one that stands out is the VOX recording of the New Hungarian Quartet playing the Middle Quartets, containing the finest available version of the 11th Quartet in F Minor, the "Quartetto Serioso"-- but this recording just has the edge interpretively as well as techincally, and is head and shoulders above many other much more highly priced renditions. A basic must-have for any respectable Classical collection!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect. Period., March 9, 2004

By 

Ramon Kranzkuper (Gainesville, FL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beethoven: String Quartets Op. 59, Nos. 1 & 2 (Audio CD)

Perfect is the only word that can describe this rendition. There's solemnity when it's required, panache when permissible, vigour when it's warranted - in short, "just as the Master intended". The first and last movements of op. 59 #2 of this performance moves one to tears. There's a fiery intensity combined with a sensitive understanding in all these performances that makes this a definite buy.

There's a certain je ne sais quoi about perfect renditions which makes it extremely difficult to describe their qualities in words. These particular recordings have that stamp of perfection about them - it's almost magic, the way the transitions between passion, delicateness, and blitheness are done.

About the music itself - the Razumovskys, I feel, are talked about less than they should be. #1 is almost a symphony, with the resolution in the final movement as perfect as any. #2 is dense, the buildup patient and painstaking, the scherzo wonderfully diverting, and the climax heart-wrenchingly passionate. This climax - mvt. 4 of #3 - is one of my top-15 pieces of music, if one may be permitted to maintain such a list.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Quintessential Beethoven string quartets!!!, July 6, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Beethoven: String Quartets Op. 59, Nos. 1 & 2 (Audio CD)

I also concur with the honors piled on these legendary performances. These recordings of Opus 59, No.1 & Opus 59, No. 2 are pure perfection, with a fiery intensity and a old world enchantment. Sure there is the occasional intonation slip up, but I find it rather charming and a simple reminder that this stuff is hard to play. In addition, you need not have reservations about the sound quality. In fact, I wish more chamber music sounded this clean and direct with not so much reverb blended into the mix. As one Amazon reviewer said - Enjoy the honest sound, the quality is marvelous. These are magnificent chamber works of Beethoven. There's also a companion Sony Essential Classics CD to this one (Op. 59, No.3, Op. 74 & Op. 133) and both are a must-have for any respectable LVB collection! Such great music at such a acceptable price. A no-brainer! Oh, and just for the record, Op. 133; known as the Grosse Fugue is the best version I've ever heard.
The Budapest Quartet never drop the ball on this one.
Treasure `em!