Best recording of Beethoven's Op 18 Quartets?

[Bryn]

Almost identical to my own thoughts! I have the complete sets from the Takacs, Belcea, Talich, Vegh and Berg Quartets and love all of them - I do find myself returning to the Talich most often (for all the quartets, not just Op.18), with the Belceas also outstanding in the Op.18. ...

Resurrecting this thread to note that both the Blu-ray Audio of the Takacs and the Blu-ray video of the Belcea appear to have been withdrawn from the catalogue. To me, this suggests than Blu-ray may have so far proved pretty much a dead end for classical releases. I do hope I am wrong. Both sets are stunning via this medium.





[Hmm. Just noticed that on bottom right of the back of the Takacs box it does state "LIMITED EDITION". There is no such simiplar notice on the Belcae box, however.]

[Beef Oven!]

Of late, I have been enjoying the Hagen Quartett's performance of #4 on DG (I don't have the rest of the Opus with the Hagens). The other CDs that I own of this Opus, which are my only comparators, are the Mosaiques, Emersons & Quartetto Italiano. All bloody superb, albeit in very different ways.

But this thread has whetted my appetite for the Tokash and Bell Chi As sets - but do I honestly need any more?

[Bryn]

Of late, I have been enjoying the Hagen Quartett's performance of #4 on DG (I don't have the rest of the Opus with the Hagens). The other CDs that I own of this Opus, which are my only comparators, are the Mosaiques, Emersons & Quartetto Italiano. All bloody superb, albeit in very different ways.

But this thread has whetted my appetite for the Tokash and Bell Chi As sets - but do I honestly need any more?

One irksome feature of the Takacs Blu-ray is that if you want to go straight from the Cavatina to the Grocer's Fudge in Op. 130, you have to be pretty slick on the skip button. On the CD they put the GF before the replacement Finale: Allegro, but on the Blu-ray the order is reversed. The Belcea's resolve the situation by having two complete performcnes, one with the GF, and the other with replacement. The studio CD sets of both groups are still available. It's just the sets including/comprising Blu-ray(s) that no longer appear to be available. The Belcea Blu-ray set was filmed/recorded 'live' at the Wiener Konzerthaus in 2012.

[visualnickmos]

Of late, I have been enjoying the Hagen Quartett's performance of #4 on DG (I don't have the rest of the Opus with the Hagens). The other CDs that I own of this Opus, which are my only comparators, are the Mosaiques, Emersons & Quartetto Italiano. All bloody superb, albeit in very different ways.

But this thread has whetted my appetite for the Tokash and Bell Chi As sets - but do I honestly need any more?

More? Of course you need more! The Takacs, is a very fine set; there are loads of good 'uns out there. I'm currently finding much pleasure in the set by the Tokyo Quartet (Sony, rec; early 1990s)

[Bryn]

More? Of course you need more! The Takacs, is a very fine set; there are loads of good 'uns out there. I'm currently finding much pleasure in the set by the Tokyo Quartet (Sony[?], rec; early 1990s)

For what it's worth, I find the later Tokyo set (Harmonia Mundi) also offers considerable rewards. My 'complete' Beethoven string quartet sets do not, as yet, run to three figures, but they are heading that way.

[Beef Oven!]

More? Of course you need more! The Takacs, is a very fine set; there are loads of good 'uns out there. I'm currently finding much pleasure in the set by the Tokyo Quartet (Sony, rec; early 1990s)

You're not helping a fellow addict - what happened to peer-support?

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

You're not helping a fellow addict - what happened to peer-support?

Went out of fashion with Lord Lucan.

[Beef Oven!]

Went out of fashion with Lord Lucan.

You're showing your age

And I don't get the reference

[kindofblue]

Ten years ago the Lyndsays would have been mentioned by now. I enjoyed their Beethoven a number of times in concert, and their first cycle in particular was excellent. [Peter Cropper, what a performer!]

[pastoralguy]

[Peter Cropper, what a performer!]

I always felt a few hours with a book of scales without wouldn't have have gone amiss...

[visualnickmos]

Has the Alban Berg Quartet's recording had a mention, so far? My first foray into Beethoven SQs was theirs. Since then, many others have joined them in my listening and enjoyment orbit....

[Bryn]

Has the Alban Berg Quartet's recording had a mention, so far? My first foray into Beethoven SQs was theirs. Since then, many others have joined them in my listening and enjoyment orbit....

Strangely, they do not appear to have been mention, neither the studio CDs or the 'live' DVDs, the latter filmed at the same venue as the Belceas' 'live' Blu-rays.. Both ABQ sets worth hearing, if not my first choice in either case.