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| Beethoven - The Complete String Quartets / Alban Berg Quartet | 
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| Artists: Ludwig Van Beethoven, Alban Berg Quartet, Gerhard Schulz, Hatto Beyerle, Thomas Kakuska, Valentin Erben Guenther Pichler
Label: EMI Classics
Category: Music
List Price: $46.98
Buy New: $31.94
You Save: $15.04 (32%)
Buy New/Used from $31.94
Avg. Customer Rating:  (30 reviews)
Sales Rank: 3633
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 7
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 5.4 x 5.1 x 0.9
MPN: 73606
UPC: 724357360623
EAN: 0724357360623
ASIN: B000026D4J
Release Date: November 16, 1999
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 disappointed September 5, 2007
2 out of 20 found this review helpful
I loved the playing and tempos and what not, I did not like the fact that 3 or 4 of the quartets 3rd and 4th movements were not separated by individual tracks on the cd. I guess I like to have control and listen to one movement by itself. I guess I should have noticed this before I bought the cd's. I guess I'm too picky this is a nice set but I'll be getting rid of it ASAP. what a shame their playing was great.
 A wonderful Beethoven cycle June 18, 2007
4 out of 6 found this review helpful
This is a fine recording, remastered for the reissue. Intelligent, driving, finely played. Excellent musicianship. Buy it. You won't be sorry you did.
A LONG TIME COMING AT THIS PRICE June 1, 2007
9 out of 9 found this review helpful
On LP I own any number of complete Beethoven String Quartets played by the great masters of that genre. I bought them all as a teenager and in college. When I started buying CDs a complete Beethoven set for over $100 by a great quartet became out of my price range at the time. To find the Berg Quartet, (a favorite group of mine), surveying these great works at this price from Amazon is one of the best bargains going.
I went immediately to Op. 135 and found it marvelous in concept, execution and recording. I've now listened to almost all the quartets, and the consistency is wonderful. Because I'm in the business I'm using only high end professional equipment for playback and the sound is truly "You Are There". The recordings capture the upper overtones of all the instruments without the least harhsness, no mean feat. The blend of the group and the hall is articulated in a way that happens on only a very few recordings. Ocassionally one can hear a minor difference in what might be placement of microphones, even from movement to movement. This could, in fact, be the result of a temperature or humidity change in the recording venue. You have to pay very close attention to notice this and it does nothing to diminish these sonic wonders) Worth thrice the price.
What more can be said? February 3, 2007
9 out of 10 found this review helpful
There are many wonderful performances of these remarkable pieces. Which is the finest? Only God, in his wisdom, will ever be able to answer such a question, but I'm sure with his celestial headphones on he'll be listening to the Alban Berg Quartet. For me this quartet is able to "read" each individual quartet with such clarity, from the light hearted humor of the Op.18 to the intense and darkly passionate Op.95 through to the strangely happy yet unearthly Op.135, with many other wonderful moments, that I can hardly imagine any better. You won't go wrong buying this.
With the Best of the Best December 13, 2006
11 out of 11 found this review helpful
I know it's saying a great deal with the excellent full sets of these quartets to choose from, but these overall are my favorites. The playing is excellent, balanced and perfectly toned. There are unquestionably the deep emotional commitment of the Vegh Quartet, the intelligence of the Juilliard, the parlor intimacy of the Talisch and the muscular intensity of the Italiano. And the serious collector needs to listen to these sets, or selections of, for a rounded understanding of these works. But for a consistency of quality and feeling throughout a traversal of all the quartets I believe the Berg set wins an arguably close contest--at least for me.
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