Beethoven: Quartets II

Beethoven: Quartets, Vol. 2

Alban Berg Quartett
EMI Classics 54592 (4 CDs)

Contents:

String Quartet No. 2 in G, Op. 18 No. 2

1. Allegro
2. Adagio cantabile
3. Scherzo (Allegro) & Trio
4. Allegro molto, quasi presto

String Quartet No. 11 in F minor, Op. 95

5. Allegro con brio
6. Allegretto ma non troppo
7. Allegro assai vivace, ma serioso
8. Larghetto espressivo - Allegretto agitato - Allegro

String Quartet No. 5 in A, Op. 18 No. 5

9. Allegro
10. Menuetto & Trio
11. Andante cantabile
12. Allegro

String Quartet No. 15 in A minor, Op. 132

1. Allegro sostenuo - Allegro
2. Allegro ma non tanto
3. Molto adagio "Heiliger Dankgesang"
4. Alla Marcia, assai vivace
5. Allegro appassionato


6. Große Fuge in Bb, Op. 133

String Quartet No. 8 in E minor, Op. 59 No. 2 "Rasumovsky"

1. Allegro
2. Molto adagio
3. Allegretto
4. Finale (Presto)

String Quartet No. 6 in Bb, Op. 18 No. 6

5. Allegro con brio
6. Adagio, ma non troppo
7. Scherzo (Allegro) & Trio
8. Adagio (La Malinconia) - Allegretto quasi Allegro

String Quartet No. 16 in F, Op. 135

1. Allegretto
2. Vivace
3. Lento assai e cantante tranquillo
4. Grave, ma non troppo tratto - Allegro

String Quartet No. 9 in C, Op. 59 No. 3 "Rasumovsky"

5. Introduzione (Andante con moto) - Allegro vivace
6. Andante con moto quasi allegretto
7. Menuetto (Grazioso) & Trio
8. Allegro molto
9. Speech
10. Encore: Op.130 - V: Cavatina

Performers: Günter Pichler (violin), Gerhard Schulz (violin), Thomas Kakuska (viola), Valentin Erben (cello)

Playing time: 259'

Recording date: June 1989 (Vienna)

This cycle was recorded live over the course of consecutive evening concerts.

These performance are vibrant, and really set themselves above the other complete sets. There are certainly better examples if one goes disc by disc. I think being live helps, because these quartets are rather uneven.

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