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| Beethoven: The String Quartets | 
 enlarge | Creators: Ludwig Van Beethoven, Amadeus Quartet
Label: Deutsche Grammophon
Category: Music
List Price: $55.98
Buy New: $33.96
You Save: $22.02 (39%)
Buy New/Used from $33.96
Avg. Customer Rating:  (12 reviews)
Sales Rank: 68168
Format: Box Set
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 7
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 5.2 x 4.9 x 0.9
MPN: 463143
UPC: 028946314326
EAN: 0028946314326
ASIN: B00002DEH2
Release Date: October 10, 2000
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Tracks:
Disc 1
| • | String Quartet In F Major, Op. 18 No. 1: Allegro con brio | | • | String Quartet In F Major, Op. 18 No. 1: Adagio affettuoso ed appassionato | | • | String Quartet In F Major, Op. 18 No. 1: Scherzo. Allegro molto | | • | String Quartet In F Major, Op. 18 No. 1: Allegro | | • | String Quartet In G Major, Op. 18 No.2: Allegro | | • | String Quartet In G Major, Op. 18 No.2: Adagio cantabile - Allegro - Tempo I | | • | String Quartet In G Major, Op. 18 No.2: Scherzo. Allegro | | • | String Quartet In G Major, Op. 18 No.2: Allegro molto quasi Presto | | • | String Quartet In D Major, Op. 18 No.3: Allegro | | • | String Quartet In D Major, Op. 18 No.3: Andante con moto | | • | String Quartet In D Major, Op. 18 No.3: Allegro | | • | String Quartet In D Major, Op. 18 No.3: Presto |
Disc 2
| • | String Quartet In C Minor, Op. 18 No. 4: Allegro ma non tanto | | • | String Quartet In C Minor, Op. 18 No. 4: Scherzo. Andante scherzoso quasi Allegretto | | • | String Quartet In C Minor, Op. 18 No. 4: Menuetto. Allegretto | | • | String Quartet In C Minor, Op. 18 No. 4: Allegro - Prestissimo | | • | String Quartet In A Major, Op. 18 No. 5: Allegro | | • | String Quartet In A Major, Op. 18 No. 5: Menuetto | | • | String Quartet In A Major, Op. 18 No. 5: Andante cantabile. Thema - Variationen I-V - Coda. Poco Adagio | | • | String Quartet In A Major, Op. 18 No. 5: Allegro | | • | String Quartet In B Flat Major, Op. 18 No. 6: Allegro con brio | | • | String Quartet In B Flat Major, Op. 18 No. 6: Adagio ma non troppo | | • | String Quartet In B Flat Major, Op. 18 No. 6: Scherzo. Allegro | | • | String Quartet In B Flat Major, Op. 18 No. 6: La Malinconia. Adagio - Allegretto quasi Allegro |
Disc 3
| • | String Quartet In F Major, Op. 59 No.1: Allegro | | • | String Quartet In F Major, Op. 59 No.1: Allegretto vivace e sempre scherzando | | • | String Quartet In F Major, Op. 59 No.1: Adagio molto e mesto - attacca | | • | String Quartet In F Major, Op. 59 No.1: Theme russe. Allegro | | • | String Quartet In E Minor, Op. 59 No.2: Allegro | | • | String Quartet In E Minor, Op. 59 No.2: Molto Adagio. Si tratta questo pezzo con molto di sentimento | | • | String Quartet In E Minor, Op. 59 No.2: Allegretto | | • | String Quartet In E Minor, Op. 59 No.2: Finale. Presto |
Disc 4
| • | String Quartet In C Major, Op. 59 No.3: Introduzione. Andante con moto - Allegro vivace | | • | String Quartet In C Major, Op. 59 No.3: Andante con moto quasi Allegretto | | • | String Quartet In C Major, Op. 59 No.3: Menuetto. Grazioso - attacca: | | • | String Quartet In C Major, Op. 59 No.3: Allegro molto | | • | String Quartet In E Flat Major, Op. 74 'Harp': Poco Adagio - Allegro | | • | String Quartet In E Flat Major, Op. 74 'Harp': Adagio ma non troppo | | • | String Quartet In E Flat Major, Op. 74 'Harp': Presto - attacca: | | • | String Quartet In E Flat Major, Op. 74 'Harp': Allegretto con Variazioni |
Disc 5
| • | String Quartet In F Minor, Op. 95: Allegro con brio | | • | String Quartet In F Minor, Op. 95: Allegretto ma non troppo - attacca: | | • | String Quartet In F Minor, Op. 95: Allegro assai vivace ma serioso | | • | String Quartet In F Minor, Op. 95: Larghetto espressivo - Allegretto agitato | | • | String Quartet In E Flat Major, Op. 127: Maestoso - Allegro | | • | String Quartet In E Flat Major, Op. 127: Adagio, ma non troppo e molto cantabile - Andante con moto - Adagio molto espressivo | | • | String Quartet In E Flat Major, Op. 127: Scherzando vivace - Presto | | • | String Quartet In E Flat Major, Op. 127: Finale | | • | Great Fugue In B Flat Major, Op. 133: Overtura. Allegro - Fuga: | | • | Great Fugue In B Flat Major, Op. 133: Meno mosso e moderato | | • | Great Fugue In B Flat Major, Op. 133: Allegro molto e con brio | | • | Great Fugue In B Flat Major, Op. 133: Meno mosso e moderato | | • | Great Fugue In B Flat Major, Op. 133: Allegro molto e con brio | | • | Great Fugue In B Flat Major, Op. 133: Allegro |
Disc 6
| • | String Quartet In B Flat Major, Op. 130: Adagio ma non troppo - Allegro | | • | String Quartet In B Flat Major, Op. 130: Presto | | • | String Quartet In B Flat Major, Op. 130: Andante con moto, ma non troppo | | • | String Quartet In B Flat Major, Op. 130: Alla danza tedesca. Allegro assai | | • | String Quartet In B Flat Major, Op. 130: Cavatina. Adagio molto espressivo - attacca: | | • | String Quartet In B Flat Major, Op. 130: Finale. Allegro | | • | String Quartet In C Sharp Minor, Op. 131: Adagio, ma non troppo e molto espressivo - attacca: | | • | String Quartet In C Sharp Minor, Op. 131: Allegro molto vivace - attacca: | | • | String Quartet In C Sharp Minor, Op. 131: Allegro moderato - attacca: | | • | String Quartet In C Sharp Minor, Op. 131: Andante, ma non troppo e molto cantabile - Andante moderato e lusinghiero - Adagio - Allegretto - Adagio, ma non troppo e semplice - Allegretto | | • | String Quartet In C Sharp Minor, Op. 131: Presto - Molto poco adagio - attacca: | | • | String Quartet In C Sharp Minor, Op. 131: Adagio quasi un poco andante - attacca: | | • | String Quartet In C Sharp Minor, Op. 131: Allegro |
Disc 7
| • | String Quartet In A Minor, Op. 132: Assai sostenuto - Allegro | | • | String Quartet In A Minor, Op. 132: Allegro ma non tanto | | • | String Quartet In A Minor, Op. 132: Heiliger Dankgesang eines Genesenden an die Gottheit, in der lydischen Tonart. Molto adagio - Neue Kraft fuhlend. Andante - Molto adagio - Andante - Molto adagio. Mit innigster Empfindung | | • | String Quartet In A Minor, Op. 132: Alla marcia, assai vivace - Piu allegro - attacca: | | • | String Quartet In A Minor, Op. 132: Allegro appassionato | | • | String Quartet In F Major, Op. 135: Allegretto | | • | String Quartet In F Major, Op. 135: Vivace | | • | String Quartet In F Major, Op. 135: Lento assai e cantante tranquillo | | • | String Quartet In F Major, Op. 135: Der schwer gefaBte EntschluB. Grave (MuB es sein?) - Allegro (Es muB sein!) - Grave, ma non troppo tratto - Allegro |
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| Customer Reviews: Read 7 more reviews...
 If I could take only one recording to a desert island... October 10, 2008
...this would have to be it. I have the vinyl set, and haven't heard the CDs, so can't really comment on some of the criticisms of sound, etc. However, it seems to me that the Amadeus Quartet purely & simply play what is written, without loads of "pulling it around" or "emotion" or whatever you'd like to call it - maybe not everyone's cup of tea, but as far as I'm concerned it must be close to what Beethoven imagined. Give me this any day, rather than recordings which have the players' personalities stamped deep into the music. This is as close to heaven on earth as you'll get!
 Over-rehearsed and over-calculated readings September 21, 2008
I was greatly looking forward to enjoying the Amadeus set but it turns out that they don't live up to the Greatness of emotion or spiritual depths of Beethoven's Quartets.
I have to agree with the other reviewer about these readings being lacking in warmth and being overly calculated. Almost all the time it seems the Amadeus performances are over-rehearsed and for me that is a huge turn off! No doubt they play technically immaculate and intensely but to me that matters less than "What" these pieces are about.
I also don't mind the 1960's DG sound, it is fresh, clear and loud, a bit on the dry side but not as dry and parched as the Talich cycle!
Try the Lindsay's cycle or the Vegh's for what I'm talking about when it comes to emotion, passion and spiritual qualities.
Technically flawless, but lacking emotionally March 28, 2007
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
I recently rented a copy of this set from the library just to see how the Amadeus quartet managed it...I have some of their other recordings, including their Brahms chamberworks survey, the complete Mozart quartets, selections of Haydn's late quartets, and a great version of Dvorak's "American". Having thoroughly enjoyed their playing on these other discs, I figured it couldn't hurt to sample their Beethoven. Well, I should have known better...I disliked this set for the exact same reasons I enjoyed their work with Mozart and Haydn - the performances felt overly smooth and overall lacking in terms of feeling. A great example of this would be the opening movement of Op. 130, at about the 1min. mark, when the allegro kicks in - it just sounds calculated and contrived to me.
I feel this way about a lot of sections (Op. 59 no. 3, finale, Op. 59 no. 2 Scherzo, Op. 74 intro, many of the late quartets) - similarly to my criticisms of Quartetto Italiano - where the overly glossy sheen detracts from the inherent conflict in the works, especially in the middle quartets. That being said, this approach really helps for the 6 quartets Op. 18, these actually being the best renditions I've heard.
One positive note amidst my criticisms: Beethoven's musical architecture is clearly audible here and very transparent (unlike Italiano, who sacrifice symmetry in favor of warm, genial sound). Still, if you are buying this set for the famous Middle and Late quartets, there are numerous better options available to you: the Takacs quartet (amazing), Talich quartet (a great budget set-really a great set at any price), Alban Berg (a tour-de-force in technique) and the Lindsay quartet (not as techincally sound, but warm & passionate readings).
A note about recording quality: not great. The lead violin is at times obnoxiously whiny and overbearing, and the cello is very quiet, though still audible.
To sum up - these performances are a good example of the polished, smooth performances of the 50s - 60s, and are a good reference as such. But other ensembles have had far more insightful approaches to these masterworks than the Amadeus quartet did, such as the Budapest quartet readings (also older recordings). Not bad as a budget set, but there are better alternatives out there.
Charming performances, good sound, budget packaging February 20, 2007
3 out of 5 found this review helpful
I have little to add to the positive reviews below. The performances are inspired. And listening on audiophile headphones with a dedicated headphone amplifier, I find the recording quality to be quite good, especially considering the age of these recordings. (These performances were originally recorded in the early 1960s.)
The packaging consists of a clamshell cardboard box containing the discs, which are in individual paper sleeves. There is a fair booklet of essays about the compositions. This is certainly budget packaging, but at least it doesn't take up incredible volumes of space to house the seven CDs.
As this CD set is currently discounted as part of Amazon's "classical blowout," it's hard to beat the value. Enjoy!
 Stay away from this cycle February 18, 2007
8 out of 15 found this review helpful
These recordings have aged very badly. These are the most terrible performances of Beethoven's quartets I've ever heard, played without any heart, and no respect for Beethoven's markings. Worst of all the DG sound quality is one of their most unpleasant, so dry and unflattering that the high violin is painful to the ears. The Amadeus Quartet should have stuck to Mozart and Haydn.
As another reviewer on Amazon.co.uk states:
"The quartets were recorded in stages during the early 1960's. As such, they do not stand up to modern state of the art recordings. This disappointed me. I wanted to have the glory of Beethoven wrapped in a sumptuous wave of audiophile quality. These are period recordings and you can tell. They would have been acceptable in their day, but not now. The sound is brittle and one-dimensional, lacking the depth and warmth of wooden stringed instruments. At times, the higher registers of the lead violin are penetrating and harsh. The cello is barely discernible and only makes its presence felt during bouts of heavy bowing. It is generally difficult to separate the four instruments, thus spoiling a major reason for enjoying such pieces. Recent listening to Radio 3's lunchtime concerts has demonstrated how these string quartets should sound, ignoring individual interpretations. Some discs are better than others, but overall fall well short of modern standards."
Here's what Gramophone magazine said of these performances:
"In Beethoven they were at their best in the early quartets, which had a freshness and unaffected naturalness showing them in the finest light. But, in retrospect, the same smooth approach to the middle and later quartets brings an element of blandness. The Adagio of the first Razumovsky Quartet is very beautiful on the surface, the playing undoubtedly concentrated, but one senses a missing dimension. There is surely a greater depth in the music than they discover, and the same comment applies to the opening of the Harp Quartet, with its dramatic strokes somehow sounding calculated."
This set contains some of the cheapest packaging around with cardboard sleeves that scratch the CDs. The box wears very quickly and can't be replaced unless you buy another set, which I obviously don't recommend.
Buy the Takacs, Lindsays, or Emerson versions instead, as they're in are class of their own.
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