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3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
 The Best Beethoven Quartet Cycle for Beginners Sep 11, 2008
If you're not sure whether you like string quartets, or if you have previously found Beethoven's massive contribution to this medium intractable, then this economically priced set is an excellent place to begin coming to terms with what many listeners regard as the Everest of Western music.
The Guarneri Quartet was one of America's premier chamber ensembles for almost four decades. They recorded two Beethoven cycles. The later one, for Phillips, was not particularly impressive; the Guareneri's enthusiasm for this music had evidently faded by the late 1980's, and their interpretations seemed alternately mannered and dull.
Their first cycle, recorded by RCA in the Sixties, find these artists in freshest form, and clearly reveal why this ensemble was so highly regarded at the time. They really dig into the music, bringing Beethoven to life in the most vital (if not always most nuanced) manner. There is nothing cerebral or studied about these interpretations. In the Late Quartets, which can often be tough sledding for neophytes, they emphasize the drama and minimize the esotericism of the music. Seasoned chamber music aficionados may find this approach to late Beethoven far too rhetorical and lacking in inwardness, but for others the Guarneri's extrovert manners may be just what is needed to sustain interest over the long haul of the *Heileger Dankgesang* of Opus 132 (no. 15) or the vast, rangy slow movement of Opus 127 (no. 12).
Whatever one's interpretive priorities for the Late Quartets, it cannot be denied that the Guarneri's bold manner and incisive attack work splendidly in the middle-period works, particularly the three "Razumovskys" (nos. 7-9) and the "Harp" (no. 10), all of which are given riveting performances. The "Serioso" (no. 11) is a particularly tough nut to crack, and it must be said that the Guarneri don't do full justice to the bitterness and fury unleashed in this briefest and most enigmatic of Beethoven's quartets. The early opus 18 group, on the other hand, fare splendidly. The Guarneri are at their finest in these sprightly and elegantly crafted works, splendidly realizing their insouciant charm and youthful bravado.
Throughout their Beethoven cycle the Guarneri's produce the fulsome, even sumptuous, tone for which they were famous throughout their long career. Seldom does one hear quartet playing that is more alluring to the ear; by comparison many other highly esteemed ensembles (such as the Budapest, the Hungarians, or even the Takacs) sound etiolated, even scratchy. Moreover, RCA/BMG have captured this distinctive sonority in wide-ranging and strikingly vivid sound--perhaps too much so for some of the quieter passages and more meditative movements. But the up-front sonics serve to underscore the elemental vigor that make these performances as involving today as they seemed four decades ago.
I can therefore recommend this set enthusiastically for admirers of the Guarneri Quartet (of which there are still many), for those who want a distinctive and slightly controversial second version of these inexhaustible works, and especially for listeners who are just embarking on the long, steep ascent to this summit of human creativity. On the other hand, if you desire to hear the Late Quartets in performances that do the full justice both to their profundity and their virtuosic technical demands, then I would recommend saving your money for the Takacs's splendid traversal from a few years back (Decca/Universal), or, if sound is not an issue, exploring the still-unsurpassed recordings (from the 78-rpm era) by the Busch Quartet (reissued on EMI, Dutton, and several other labels--though the current EMI remastering is disappointing).
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Totally Captivating Performances!!! Feb 28, 2008
Alongside Talich Qt's Beethoven cycle, Guarneri's RCA recording is quite an achievement. Guarneri Qt produces very focussed yet rich and warm tones in amazing amplitude and resonance. Early quartets sounds very vivid and fresh. Rapt serenity of slow movements in late quartets is spell-binding.
7 of 11 found the following review helpful:
The Guarneri Beethoven--A Transcendental Bargain Jan 09, 2007
It's been many years since I last attempted a journey through the complete Beethoven Quartets. I'm not sure if my musical tastes have matured that much or whether the playing by the Quarneri Quartet on RCA is that good, but they have now convinced me that these Beethoven Quartets are pieces that I will return to regularly for enjoyment. The Shostakovich Quartets still speak to me on a more personal level, and I still struggle to figure out the middle Bartok Quartets. The Beethoven set by the Alban Berg Quartet on EMI 73606 has served as a great complement to the Quarneri performances, and I now I can highly recommend either one (better both) of these unbelievable bargains to those wanting to better appreciate the Beethoven String Quartets.
19 of 30 found the following review helpful:
 Studied, unyielding performances in badly dated sound Jan 12, 2006
After a glorious decade of Living Stereo, RCA entered the Dynagroove era with some of the worst sound ever recorded by a major label. The Guarneri suffered badly from this--these Beethoven quartets sound dry, cramped, and charmless. I vividly remember the early excitement over this group. They were heirs to the intellectual style of quartet playing represented by the Budapest Quartet, and as individual musicians, these young graduates of Curtis, who also played every summer at Marlboro, were pre-anointed.
Now the picture is rather different. The Guarneri remains a top-flght group, but they haven't turned into resplendent artists (a TV film documentary from the late Nineties shows that they are thoroughly sick of each other personaly; some members barely speak outside rehearsal.) Their Beethoven doesn't sing and is much too studied. Beethoven quartets must communicate several things at once, and the Guarneri are excellent at some of them: ensemble, individual technique, serious purpose, classical balance. But without spontaneity and inspiration, those qualities lie on fallow ground. One minute of exposure to the Alban Berg's live Beethoven cycle on EMI (not caught in the best sound, either) reveals how much more joyful and singing these great works can be. At the risk of offending the Guarneri's many fans, these readings only go halfway to the mark.
41 of 48 found the following review helpful:
The Guarneri Quartet Plays Beethoven Aug 18, 2005
I recently spent several days at home recovering from minor surgery and took the opportunity to revist the Beethoven string quartets and the Beethoven piano sonatas. I thought the quartets would be especially appropriate to hear in recovering from surgery. I looked forward particularly to revisiting the "Holy Song of Thanksgiving to the Deity by a Convalscent,in the Lydian Mode", the third movement of the opus 132 quartet which Beethoven wrote when he recovered from an illness far worse than that which plagued me. There is, perhaps, a similar feeling expressed in the slow, hymnlike movement of the second Razumovsky Quartet, opus 59 no.2.
Hearing the music made me appreciate not only my health but also the opportunities I have enjoyed to get to know the quartets. Many years ago, I first heard the quartets live played by the Fine Arts Quartet when it was the quartet-in-residence at the University of Wisconsin -- Milwaukee. I subsequently acquired the Fine Arts Quartet's excellent recording of the entire cycle. Then, while living in Washington D.C. for thirty years, I have had many opportunities to hear the Juilliard String Quartet, and other ensembles, perform the Beethoven quartets at the Library of Congress, probably the best musical venue in what is a musical capital city.
To rehear the quartets, I chose a recent reissue of the cycle by the Guarneri Quartet. I have never heard the Guarneri's live before, even though the quartet is in residence at the nearby University of Maryland. The group has been playing together since 1965 and is deservedly revered. The ensemble plays with a lyrical, songlike and expressive character, with a flow, a grace, and a feel of gemuitlicheit that brought me new insights into this music. It is an outstanding recording of the quartet cycle. In a detailed review of the Guarneri's performance of the cycle on MusicWeb, Paul Shoemaker justly wrote that "If there's a better version of these quartets, I've not heard it."
As do the piano sonatas, Beethoven's 16 quartets allow the listener to experience the development and deepening of his style from his early period, to the period of maturity, to the final works at the end of his life. But the quartets are evenly divided between Beethoven's three major compositional periods while the piano sonatas are somewhat weighted towards the composer's earlier years. In addition, Beethoven composed his quartets in three rather continuous blocks, giving each group a distinctive character, while the piano sonatas were written more continuously in Beethoven's career and tend to meld and flow more easily from one period to another.
In recovering from an illness, I thought while listening of how the quartets deal in their different ways with human pain. Beethoven composed his first series of six quartets, opus 18, as a young man in his late 20s who was full of hope and optimism, aware of his extraordinary gifts and of his ability to realize them in his music. These works are in the style of Haydn and Mozart but show a Beethoven intent on developing a voice of his own. They are optimistic, powerful works full of confidence but with hints of sadness and depths in the slow movement of the first quartet and in the "La Malinconia" section of the fourth movement of the sixth quartet. In my listening, I spent more time revisiting this first group of quartets than I had anticipated.
The second group of quartets include the three "Razumovsky" quartets of opus 59 written in 1806 together with the "Harp" and "Serioso" quartets written somewhat later. These are large, inspiring works from Beethoven's "heroic" period and the best known of his quartets. They show a composer who has known difficulty and disappointment, in his growing deafness, his health, and in his failure to form a lasting loving and sexual relationship with a woman, who tries to overcome his problems through strength, hope and will. These are large-scale inspiring works. I spent most of my time in this group with the second quartet of opus 59, with the poignant slow movement of the third quarted of opus 59 and, surprisingly, with the radiant lyricism of the "harp" quartet, opus 74.
Beethoven's final compositions consist of the last five quartets, opus nos. 127, 130, 131, 132, 135, together with the "Great Fugue" opus 133. This is deep and complex music in which Beethoven moves beyond suffering and struggle to various forms of recognition and acceptance. In rehearing this music as played by the Guarneri Quartet, I was taken by its lyricism, the many songs, dances, and marches in these quartets interlaced with the more forbidding fugues. The Guarneri Quartet has the rare virtue of not taking itself too seriously. I have already mentioned the "Hymn of Thanksgiving" in the opus 132 quartet. I also listened a great deal to the opus 127 quartet, which opens with inspiring chords and is a mixture of the resolute and the reflective, and to the final quartet, opus 135. This is the shortest quartet of the final five and shows Beethoven finding his answer to human suffering in the form of comedy and laughter rather than tragedy (think of the laughing Buddha). I also thought about the ending Beethoven wrote, after completing opus 135, to replace the "Great Fugue" in opus 130. It seemed to me that he had acted wisely and correctly by bringing this quartet to a light, almost comedic, conclusion.
It is not a pleasant experience to be in recovery, but I was grateful for the opportunity to hear the Guarneri Quartet and to revisit the Beethoven string quartets. This is music that speaks to the heart of listeners at different times and stages of life. I suggest that listeners coming to the quartets for the first time (or after many times) also read a good overview to Beethoven's life and music. I recommend Lewis Lockwood's "Beethoven: The Music and the Life" (2003). This study places Beethoven's achievement in its historical and musical context and includes lengthy treatments of each of the three groups of string quartets.
Robin Friedman
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