String Quartet No. 14 in c#

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

Product Details

• Performer: Lindsay String Quartet
• Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven
• Audio CD (December 15, 1993)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: ASV Living Era
• ASIN: B0000030QO
• Also Available in: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #639,298 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Profound Understanding of the Composer's Intentions, September 17, 2004

By 

Leopold Bloom (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: String Quartet No. 14 in c# (Audio CD)

Beethoven's late string quartets were ahead of their time in their breaking free of the strictures of contemporary quartet writing. This one in particular is unusual in that the individual movements (except the final one) do not develop their themes in the conventional way; instead they create what is more akin to an atmosphere, similar to Debussy nearly a century later. The Lindsay Quartet understands this, and succeeds in communicating this atmosphere. This is immediately apparent in the first movement -- the exceedingly beautiful and hypnotic interplay between the instruments sounds like something written in the 20th century rather than the 19th. After hearing the Lindsay, other versions sound confused, as if the players were not sure what they were dealing with. Yet the Lindsay is able to present the final movement as the exemplar of conventional sonata form that it is. If you will have only one version of the 14th quartet, this is the one to get, and if you want to expand your understanding of this remarkable piece of music, your collection will not be complete without this one.

9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lindsay at its finest, July 1, 2000

By 

Hyunseok Min - See all my reviews

This review is from: String Quartet No. 14 in c# (Audio CD)

Beethoven's late string quartets are the best music. period. The only music I almost love equally is Wagner's 'Tristan und Isolde'. Then Beethoven's late piano sonatas come to my mind.

I truly came to love these string quartets after listening to Lindsay's. I heard Budapest, Alban Berg, Italiano, Amadeus(yuck) also, but Lindsay is the best.

Lindsay's play sounds modern, maybe too modern. Recording itself seems too bright at times. But still this is the closest to the ideal performance.

Ah, what a joy and happiness I could find this recording! I can honestly say that I'm a happier person than most people in the world because I know Beethoven's late quartets and Lindsay.