Beethoven String Quartets on record

[Tapiola]

Historical - Busch Quartet.

Classics - Italiano

Oh yes.

Any takers for the (first) Lindsays set? Not the most polished, but aint that Beethoven?

[MickyD]

Re. HIPP, I would strongly recommend the Eroica Quartet CD of Op.74, 95 & 135, if you can find it.

I agree with you, Bryn. Sadly it's life seems to have been short lived....but I see you can get it as a download, not that that would interest me.

[mathias broucek]

Historical - Busch Quartet.

Classics - Italiano, various Juilliards...

Personal best - Vegh Quartet. Nothing showy, exaggerated or overtly polished, not even the most disciplined - just a warmth, intimacy, real dialogue between the players, and a soul-baring depth.
"Provincial" in the best sense.

If you've heard Sandor Vegh as conductor of Haydn or Mozart in Salzburg, then you'll understand.

Agree on the Italians and Vegh. Used to borrow the latter from the library all the time.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Any takers for the (first) Lindsays set? Not the most polished, but aint that Beethoven?

I've only heard individual discs from this set, Tapi - they are very good indeed, some off-putting sniffing aside. But I'm biased in favour of the Lindsays - they were the ensemble that I heard playing the complete cycle "Live".

[Don Petter]

But I'm biased in favour of the Lindsays - they were the ensemble that I heard playing the complete cycle "Live".

That sparks me to put in possibly an 'old fogy's' vote. (Not that I heard either of these live, but first record collecting impressions, before any live hearings in the concert hall, do also colour one's choice of favourites.)

Hollywood Quartet (Late quartets and GF) on Testament, or Pristine (not heard but transfers highly praised).

Budapest Quartet, from 1950s Philips mono, not the stereo, as on CD from United Archives.

[Tapiola]

I've only heard individual discs from this set, Tapi - they are very good indeed, some off-putting sniffing aside. But I'm biased in favour of the Lindsays - they were the ensemble that I heard playing the complete cycle "Live".

Is there an envy emoticon, ferney?

Yes, sniffs, but it's what Ludwig would have wanted

[Tapiola]

Hollywood Quartet (Late quartets and GF) on Testament, or Pristine (not heard but transfers highly praised).

The Hollywoods! How could I forget! My first exposure to the late quartets, Don, as a mere youth. Rather strident EMI LPs if I remember...? But the interpretations...

[Bryn]

O.k., the first complete set I got was that by Quartetto Italiano (on LP) and I was quite simply besotted with it. Over the decades, however, I have come to hold the set recorded by the Talich Quartet in higher regard. Though I now have rather more than a dozen complete surveys available in CD format, it is that by the Talich Quartet it return to the most often. So far I have only listen to a couple of the discs from Volume 1 of the Belcia Quartet's survey, and those I have heard I find highly musical. I was going to go for the 96/24 FLACs fo Volume 2 on offer from the Linn site. They were nearly twice the price of the CD quality downloads, but still cheaper than the CDs. However, they seem to have nearly doubled in price over night, so it will probably be another box of CDs after all.

[richardfinegold]

Oh yes.

Any takers for the (first) Lindsays set? Not the most polished, but aint that Beethoven?

To many intonation issues with the lead Violinist, so this set comes a Cropper...

[richardfinegold]

There are many good suggestions here. I have several sets, but I admit that except for the Tokyo's SACD set on Harmonia Mundi, I haven't heard any that have been recorded in the last decade or so.
The Hungarian Quartet recording of the Middle Quartets (Razumovsky 1-3, Harp, Serioso) was my introduction to String Quartets, and I immediately was seduced by the sound of a Quartet. I particularly love the contrapuntal play with the Cello and Viola. My favorite Concert experiences in the past few years have involved a series of Quartets playing in a small venue
with perfect acoustics in my village.
On recordings, there is a tremendous variety of sound signatures that different Quartets produce. Central European ensembles such as Vegh and Talich sound very different from the American ensembles such as the Guarneri or Emersons. The Tokyo and the Italiano produce a highly refined sound that occassionally misses some of the Beethoven bite
Many critics think that no one Quartet does justice to all 3 periods of Beethoven Quartets, and that one should mix and match.
My suggestion to the OP would be to by one of the cycles that are being offered at steep discount, such as Tokyo or Guarneri. Get to know and enjoy the music, and then supplement individual works. In the era of downloading it is much easier to buy a single Quartet recording than previously, when one usually had to buy a whole set.

[akiralx]

Very in-depth survey here - but if you're fond of older recordings like the Amadeus, better look away now...

http://rolf-musicblog.blogspot.com.au/2013/02/beethoven-string-quartets-summary.html

[Don Petter]

I should have said earlier that I add my voice to the recommendations for the Italians as complete cyclists. (Could have phrased that better ... unintended hint of lycra).

Perhaps a sacrilegious admission here - I don't really have much time for the Early (Op.18) quartets, except in a once-in-a-while Mozartian way. I came to the cycle via the Late quartets, which I don't think are at all too 'difficult' to act as an introduction. Difficult to ever exhaust the endless joys of the music within, yes.

[verismissimo]

... I am conscious of a serious gap in my collection of recorded music, namely, the Beethoven String Quartets and Grosse Fugue...

Knowing of your extraordinary depth of musical Knowledge, Laurie, I stepped back in amazement. What joys to come!

And with so much emphasis in this thread on the late quartets, it's easy to forget how wonderful (and revolutionary) the early opus 18 set is.

I can't pretend to have surveyed the field, but when I reach for them, it's usually for the early Lindsays recordings.

But then, like ferney, I heard that great quartet play them (rather often over the years).

Of current young quartets, the Heaths remind me most of the Lindsays.

[Tapiola]

To many intonation issues with the lead Violinist, so this set comes a Cropper...

[amateur51]

Of current young quartets, the Heaths remind me most of the Lindsays.

I'm very pleased to read another positive review for this young quartet - they're coming to London's Wigmore Hall soon. I don't think they've made any recordings yet.

Here's their forthcoming concert listing

http://www.heathquartet.com/concerts.php