Beethoven String Quartets employing judicious use of vibrato

[Thropplenoggin]

Thanks, Ariosto, for that.

I'm curious to know what people think of the Busch Quartet, now the recordings have been cleaned up impeccably by Dutton. Their use of vibrato seems a lot less prolific than
the quartets from the Fifties onwards.

[Stanfordian]

I'm still on an odyssey to select a complete set of Beethoven's quartets, not necessarily HIP (does one even exist?!) I do have a problem with excessive use of vibrato, which a lot of the old 'classic' quartets employ. Is this the so-called "colour" that reviewers often cite? I find it grating and that it distracts from the flow of the music. But, then, so does this chap.

I've already settled on the Artemis Quartet (Virgin Classics) recent cycle, which is still very pricey, so I spent a few hours yesterday trawling through the usual resources (various Amazons, allmusic.com, Spotify, YouTube) to sample some of the names that often crop up in forums and reviews. It's surprising how many of the big hitters (Végh '52 and 70s, Talich) are hard to get hold of without paying hundreds of pounds/dollars/euros - on CD, at least.

Anyway, here are some discoveries that may be of interest:

1) Vermeer Quartet: Beethoven String Quartets Nos 1 - 16 - very little vibrato, very clean sound (re-mastered on Warner Classics) - the main complaint seems to be not employing the full range of available dynamics (ppp, ff, etc.) I have to say I like what I heard, although there is some extraneous noise (heavy breathing? bowing?) in quieter passages. It's available to hear on Spotify. A good price, too. £20

2) Borodin Quartet (Chandos) Beethoven: String Quartets - pricey (as are all Chandos CDs), gorgeous sound, judicious use of vibrato. I already have an earlier CD of Beethoven string quartets on Virgin Classics - a real treasure, esp. op.132. I'll probably invest in this at some point.

3) The Smetana Quartet Beethoven: String Quartets Nos 11-16 often gets cited as being special. I'm interested by this. Again, vibrato seems judicious not excessive. There are short samples on Amazon mp3 page or Allmusic.

4) Finally, the much-vaunted Talich Quartet cycle seems to be coming back on 9 October 2012. There's an announcement to pre-order it here on Amazon.fr.

Voilà!

So, I'm almost certainly going to invest (or get someone to invest for me for b'day/Christmas) in the Artemis Quartet cycle and the Borodin Quartet cycle on Chandos. Vermeer and Smetana are very interesting possibilities, though I'd like to hear more first. And I'll be interested to hear anyone's thoughts on the Talich cycle.

P.S. I didn't mention Hagen Quartet(t), whose back catalogue of Beethoven quartets is a) incomplete and b) spread over many CDs no longer available. I also didn't mention the HIP Quatuor Mosaïques, whose op.18 is well worth getting, as its not a complete set. We can only hope...

In the complete Beethoven string quartets by some distance from the rival sets I strongly suggest two sets the Takács Quartet on EMI and the recently completed set from the Artemis Quartet on Virgin.

[Dave2002]

In the complete Beethoven string quartets by some distance from the rival sets I strongly suggest two sets the Takács Quartet on EMI and the recently completed set from the Artemis Quartet on Virgin.

Small correction, the Takács Quartet is on Decca. The Artemis set, which I don't know, has the benefit of relative cheapness cf the Takács.

[Ariosto]

Small correction, the Takács Quartet is on Decca. The Artemis set, which I don't know, has the benefit of relative cheapness cf the Takács.

I would certainly reccommend the Takacs as I've heard them live and on R3 on several occasions and their Beethoven is very good. Definitely amongst the best.

[Thropplenoggin]

Thanks to Stanfordina, Dave and Ariosto.

The Artemis Set, currently at a whopping £37 on CD, is at the top of my birthday/Christmas list. I've listened through it on Spotify and it meets with my reduced vibrato requirement. The sound is also sumptuously presented by Virgin Classics.

As for the Takacs, winners of the BAL crown, no? I fear they may fall back on vibrato far too readily for my tastes...but perhaps I'm prejudging them?

*edit* One Amazon.co.uk reviewer has the same complaint to make of the Takacs: "Personally, I find the excessive vibrato distracting (and I don't suppose Beethoven would have approved either). A little vibrato is fine for occasional emphasis, but this is too much, too often."

[Ariosto]

Thanks to Stanfordina, Dave and Ariosto.

The Artemis Set, currently at a whopping £37 on CD, is at the top of my birthday/Christmas list. I've listened through it on Spotify and it meets with my reduced vibrato requirement. The sound is also sumptuously presented by Virgin Classics.

As for the Takacs, winners of the BAL crown, no? I fear they may fall back on vibrato far too readily for my tastes...but perhaps I'm prejudging them?

*edit* One Amazon.co.uk reviewer has the same complaint to make of the Takacs: "Personally, I find the excessive vibrato distracting (and I don't suppose Beethoven would have approved either). A little vibrato is fine for occasional emphasis, but this is too much, too often."

OK, that's fine if that is your taste but personally I find that the quartets who play with limited vibrato have a dead sound. But I will listen to the Atemis who I have heard before and seem to remember were good.

[Ariosto]

I've just heard snatches on the Amazon site of the quartets with Artemis and some of it is quite nice, but in other snatches I did not like some of their style of playing, for instance the way they play chords. Vibrato was fine - if a little thin in places for my taste.

I heard bits of Quartet 3 in C minor which I've recently performed and it was definitely (in places anyway) not to my taste at all. (And the second fiddle in my quartet at the time was keen on HIP).

[Thropplenoggin]

Ariosto, one of the few exceptions to the vibrato rule is the Quartetto Italiano - the warmth of their sound is incredible. A real recommendation, played with verve and passion. The way they start op.127 really has to be heard to be believed: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6sS6nLOboPY

Here they are playing the third movement ('Heiliger Dankgesang') from op.132: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-jus6AGHzQ

[Ariosto]

Ariosto, one of the few exceptions to the vibrato rule is the Quartetto Italiano - the warmth of their sound is incredible. A real recommendation, played with verve and passion. The way they start op.127 really has to be heard to be believed: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6sS6nLOboPY

Here they are playing the third movement ('Heiliger Dankgesang') from op.132: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-jus6AGHzQ

Yes, I already knew the Q Italiano and I was given the full set on LP plus the score for them all when I left a band I was in. I've since bought them on CD, and I use the score - which is now 30 years old - sometimes at concerts to improve my understanding and of course at home especially when studying one of them.

[Bryn]

Ariosto, one of the few exceptions to the vibrato rule is the Quartetto Italiano - the warmth of their sound is incredible. A real recommendation, played with verve and passion. The way they start op.127 really has to be heard to be believed: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6sS6nLOboPY

Here they are playing the third movement ('Heiliger Dankgesang') from op.132: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-jus6AGHzQ

I think you will have a very hard task trying to find a 'vibrato-lite' set. I have been hoping for one such for a very long time. If you can find it, for get the Eroica Quartet's recording of the Harp, Serioso and Op. 135. It's gem. Would that the Festetics recorded a Beethoven quartet survey like their Haydn. So far it appears that where Beethoven is concerned, only the early works are in their repertoire.

Oh, I should add that I find the way the Artemis Quartet members employ vibrato in the opening of Op. 131 really quite painful.

[heliocentric]

There's also the (new) Schuppanzigh Quartet (led by the always impressive Anton Steck) playing op.18/4 and op.59/3 on the Ars Musici label, released in 2000, out of print but I would recommend searching it out.

There are a few recordings around which haven't been mentioned yet and aren't plastered with vibrato - for the late quartets I favour the LaSalle (if you like the way Boulez conducts Mahler you'll like the way the LaSalle play Beethoven); and I wouldn't be without the Busch Quartet - no modern quartet seems to me to play with such a precise and subtle interplay of timbres. Like Bryn I would like to hear the Festetics play all the Beethoven quartets. I have the feeling I might find the Mosaïques a bit lacking in angularity for the middle and late quartets.

[Thropplenoggin]

Thanks for the info, Bryn and heliocentric. I'll certainly be giving the Festetics a listen.

Bryn: I, too, was surprised by the way the Artemis Q. handle op.131 - they almost turn the opening into a Slash guitar solo. The only quartet I've heard play the opening with reduced vibrato is Endellion, but I'm not a big fan of their recorded sound, which lacks warmth.

heliocentric: There are two accounts of the Mosaïques doing op.59/1 and op.131 on YouTube - they are rips from Radio 3 so sound quality is variable, but it's encouraging to see they have played some of Beethoven's later work. Perhaps they'll consider recording them.

*edit* Heliocentric: I have ordered a disc of the Busch Quartet playing op.59/3 and op.131 - one of the Dutton remasterings.

[Ariosto]

There's also the (new) Schuppanzigh Quartet (led by the always impressive Anton Steck) playing op.18/4 and op.59/3 on the Ars Musici label, released in 2000, out of print but I would recommend searching it out.

Hi heliocentric.

Because I respect your opinion and your posts (along with others of course!) I had a listen on YouTube to the Schuppanzigh Quartet playing Haydn on period instruments. It was fast playing (mvt 1 of Op74 B flat quartet) - but I'm afraid, try though I might, I could not find much to like about this performance.

I suppose it comes down to either liking or disliking period performance, and liking or disliking modern instrument performances. But at least I tried.

[Russ_H]

I'm still on an odyssey to select a complete set of Beethoven's quartets, not necessarily HIP (does one even exist?!) I do have a problem with excessive use of vibrato, which a lot of the old 'classic' quartets employ. Is this the so-called "colour" that reviewers often cite? I find it grating and that it distracts from the flow of the music. But, then, so does this chap.

I had a look at the site that Thropplenoggin mentioned.

Does the writer of the blog ever enjoy his listening? Or does he simply search for faults?
I realise that everyone has likes and dislikes; excessive vibrato in the case of Thropplenoggin.
But I am mystified by the blog writer's approach.

I'd be interested in the views of other posters.

[Dave2002]

Why not email him and ask?