Customer Reviews

String Quartets (Complete)

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

 

 

Among recordings of Beethoven's string quartets there is an abundance of choice. Many of finest string quartet groups have recorded the full cycle. Having heard these quartets performed by the Alban Berg Quartet ("ABQ"), the Juilliard Quartet ("JQ"), the Kodaly Quartet ("KQ"), and the Cleveland Quartet ("CQ"), I find each of these groups outstanding in its own way.

As Alan Lekan states in his 01/14/2005 review of the complete Beethoven cycle by the Quartetto Italiano, "competition is fierce and it really comes down to what stylistic nuances most appeal to you."

In terms of my own preferences, if the ABQ, JQ, and KQ all deserve five stars out of five for their performances, then the Cleveland Quartet deserves a sixth star. All four groups play together seamlessly and capture the energy and passion of Beethoven, but the Cleveland Quartet also has an extra touch of lyrical magic and smooth refinement coupled with passionate energy in the quality of their performance.

The musicians perform with an elegance as smooth as silk, while also capturing the liveliness of the quartets' allegro, scherzo, and presto movements, where there is a wonderful interaction between the violins and viola, playing the melody and the cello, providing a strong rhythm and anchoring the melody while at times playing in opposition to it and at other times in accompaniment; all the instruments are distinct and play both with and against each other in a perfect blend of harmony and, in the more rapid passages, a flawless tension that beautifully conveys the passion in the music.

In the adagio and andante movements, all of the wonderful passion in the ebb and flow of these movements are present together with exquisite tenderness and lyricism, all conveyed with the CQ's love for these quartets, as well as their technical brilliance, that makes listening to this music an absolute joy.

The sound quality of these digital recordings made in the mid 1990's is superbly rich, clear, and full, and evokes the impression of highly polished wood, like the wood of the superb instruments played by these incredibly talented musicians: William Preucil plays a Stradivarious violin from 1701; Peter Salaff, a J.B. Guadegnini violin from 1783; James Dunham, a Gaspar da Salo viola from 1585; and Paul Katz, an Andrea Guarneri cello from 1669.

The quality of the sound engineering is excellent, as with the vast majority of Telarc CDs. Everyone involved in making this outstanding recording, from the musicians to the sound engineers, has every reason to be proud of this accomplishment. Out of several hundred classical music CD's, I would select the Cleveland Quartet's recordings of all of the Beethoven Quartets, as amongst my very best, "desert island" CDs. This collection has my highest recommendation.

These are new performances from the Cleveland Quartet - they recorded a cycle in the 1970's for RCA, though some of the players had changed. Their playing is immaculate, but they also bring real warmth and humanity to the music. I also own the Vegh Quartet's version on Valois, but was very disappointed by the production (sound quality is very flawed, and in some of the quartets, the movements are not even on separate tracks!). The Cleveland is among the finest versions currently available. The recorded sound of the Telarc discs is also peerless. Sadly, the Cleveland has since disbanded, and these were among their last recordings. But what a way to go out!

While not my absolute favorite recordings of the Beethoven string quartets, I highly recommend this set. The Cleveland has never performed better. Exquisitely recorded and masterfully executed, this set is well worth acquiring.

The Penguin Guide hasn't been kind to these performances, calling some "not very likeable," and "over-rehearsed." At times it seems to be somewhat biased against non-European groups. When it comes to this set of recordings, the Penguin Guide can be safely ignored.

I am fortunate to have been introduced to Beethoven's late quartet works through these renditions by Cleveland Quartet. I've heard other versions since but I keep coming back to these recordings. A must have for any Beethoven Quartet fan! Its sad that the quartet disbanded in '95. I really wish they had finished a season of Mozart's "Haydn" quartets as well!

In February of 2000, I wrote this review for Emerson's cycle, "If you like these quartets strong and right in your face, then here you are. However, many of the delicate, intimate passages are almost brushed over as unimportant. The Cleveland Quartet does a great job with the intimate details and is highly recommended. I had access to both sets to enjoy and compare and I purchased Cleveland. However, I do appreciate the superb performances of Emerson and their smash face style that many would claim was Beethoven's priority. Cleveland is more elegant, and detail oriented and quite simply paint more beautiful pictures. Do you want Joni Mitchell or The Clash performing your Beethoven? Buy both if you can for total mood coverage and an enjoyable comparison study."

Ten years later, after listening to many more Beethoven cycles, I still prefer the beauty and detail that Cleveland offers to these great quartets.

Over the years I've lived with various complete cycles of Beethoven quartets. In the 80's I owned and loved the Alban Berg Quartet who set a new standard for technical brilliance--their unanimity of tone, attack, dynamics and especially intonation remain breathtaking. I enjoyed the Quartet Italiano for a time as well, also extremely well played and better recorded than the Alban Berg (to my ears at least, the ABQ's recordings are on the bright side). I continue to listen to the Juilliard Quartet's 1960's recordings for their more modernist approach which enlightened me to just how radical Beethoven was in the mid to late quartets. Unfortunatly, Columbia recorded them closely in a dry and somewhat bright fashion that may have worked on LP, but isn't flattering on CD. However, my ears adjust to the sound pretty quickly and it doesn't take long to listen to what they accomplished. The second recording of Juilliard's Beethoven I cannot recommend (live recordings) due to a decline in their technical ability, especially Robert Mann's. I say that with all due respect because he was a wonderful musician, but time can be unkind to violinists who often peak earlier than some other instrumentalists (like pianists). So now that brings me to the Cleveland Quartet. What I find in their playing is the technical polish of the Alban Berg, that radical fire of the Juilliard '60's recordings in the latter quartets, and Telarc's exemplary recording. To my ears, Telarc struck the ideal balance of clarity and acoustic ambience. Literally every note in every voice is audible, but without the dryness of the Juilliard recordings. William Preucil is masterful in his tone, rhythm, phrasing and intonation (he's the former concertmaster of the Atlanta Symphony and current concertmaster of the Cleveland Orchestra--not bad credentials!). Both the Telarc label and the Cleveland Quartet are history now. The Telarc name continues, but that homegrown Cleveland label that set new standards in classical and jazz recording quality is no more. Enjoy this slice of time when musicians and technical team were at their peaks. There are hours and hours of joy in this set.

I own the complete quartets by both the Cleveland and Guarneri quartets. I must say that my favorite performances out of the two are the Cleveland quartet's. I am not too crazy about the Guarneri's sound. It is somewhat coarse. Their vibrato is only capabable of a small range of speed. The cleveland quartet has, in my opinion, a more expressive quality. Their tone is, in the words of a Gramophone reviewer, "rich and warm". The Gruarneris have more of a technecal command over these peices though, so it merely depends upon what you desire, expressive, musical performances or technical extragance. I must say that in Beethoveen, the performances must be intensely focused on the music, as well as have a firm grasp on the technical side of things. It's not to say that the Cleveland quartet is not excellent technically, or that the Guarneris are not amazingly musically expressive. Each of these performances have their distinct qualities. It's only a matter of deciding what you like more in a performance! Either way, you'll end up with a wonderful set of performances from these two wonderful groups. I would recommend purchasing both of these unique performances.

I own the complete quartets by both the Cleveland and Guarneri quartets. I must say that my favorite performances out of the two are the Cleveland quartet's. I am not too crazy about the Guarneri's sound. It is somewhat coarse. Their vibrato is only capabable of a small range of speed. The cleveland quartet has, in my opinion, a more expressive quality. Their tone is, in the words of a Gramophone reviewer, "rich and warm". The Gruarneris have more of a technecal command over these peices though, so it merely depends upon what you desire, expressive, musical performances or technical extragance. I must say that in Beethoveen, the performances must be intensely focused on the music, as well as have a firm grasp on the technical side of things. It's not to say that the Cleveland quartet is not excellent technically, or that the Guarneris are not amazingly musically expressive. Each of these performances have their distinct qualities. It's only a matter of deciding what you like more in a performance! Either way, you'll end up with a wonderful set of performances from these two wonderful groups. I would recommend purchasing both of these unique performances.

The performances by the Clevelnd Quartet are superb The phrasing and playing by these excellent musicians reflect their years of working together.

Good Stuff. Sounds great. Its nice having the whole set and since im from the cleveland area its a win - win situation. Only problem is one of the songs started skipping for no reason. The cd was brand new and clean so its in the recording. Im not sure whats up with that or if they are all like that but all in all i still recommend the set. Opus 131 is simply amazing