Beethoven: The String Quartets
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Free Music Notes for Beethoven: The String Quartets
Free Music Review: Poor Reviews = Poor Reviewers
Hit: 5 Stars
Anybody who gives this collection an overall poor review does not have an ear for music. That simple. I went into a state of ecstasy listening to this. Petersen quartet is unbelievable too, but they don't have a full Beethoven String Quartet recording out. I was hoping too find a full set like this one.
The Emerson Quartet just being technical and showy and not musical. COME ON!! Listen to their version of The Art of Fugue. Also an absolutely phenomenal recording - perfect on every level it could be judged by.
Free Music Review: Emerson's Excellent Adventure!
Hit: 5 Stars
The wide disparity of opinions here made me want to hear this set and decide for myself. I have done do. My verdict is that it is an excellent survey of Beethoven's sixteen quartets.
Emerson purveys an ensemble sound with strong contrapuntal clarity. In a way, they are much like the legendary Budapest String Quartet of the 1930s and `40s; and, if any readers of this review have done research, they will discover that Budapest's Beethoven and Mozart quartets, when they first appeared, elicited strong reactions that are remarkably similar to what Emerson has received here.
This is a quartet that has spent years studying, restudying, analyzing and working out there approach to these quartets. So much is obvious from the listening experience. To dismiss them as glib or inexpressive is to do them a great disservice. While it is true that ensemble richness and unified bowing are principal concerns, ignoring the composer's directions is not what they do. On the contrary, anyone who studies these scores will discover that Emerson comes very close to everything that Beethoven directed.
Their performances of the early quartets are without peer. You may, of course, prefer the Takacs, Alban Berg or Tokyo Quartets if you wish, but none of those ensembles have as strong a spirit of joie-de-vivre heard here. It's obvious to me that Emerson tried very hard to strike a balance between studied precision and spontaneous enthusiasm. I like their energetic approach as much as I prefer Artur Schnabel's energetic approach to the early sonatas better than anyone else's.
In the middle quartets, their tempi are very brisk, but a point-by-point comparison with the superb Tokyo Quartet recordings of these works reveals similar detailing. The difference lies in certain details of balance. Tokyo enjoys "breaking up" the quartet sound a little more to reveal inner details a shade better, and the soft playing of violist Kazuhide Isomura and cellist Sadao Harada is less hollow and "edgy" sounding in the softest passages than that of Lawrence Dutton and David Finckel here. In other words, the Tokyo Quartet is the sine qua non of performance standard in these middle works; Emerson presents a good representation that, if the Tokyo recordings did not exist, would be world standard.
At first listen, I thought Emerson a bit too glib in the late quartets, but on second listen I realized that this is simply because, as in the middle works, their focus is on ensemble rather than individual or duo playing. My standards here are the recordings of these works by the Yale Quartet circa 1960 and the late-1980s recordings of the Vermeer Quartet. Yale's tempi are faster than Vermeer's, much closer to what Emerson produces here. Both Yale and Vermeer penetrate a shade deeper into the angst of this music, but only a shade. Emerson is excellent, better in my mind than the recordings of these pieces by the Budapest, Hungarian, Amadeus, Juilliard or Takacs Quartets.
My preference for the Tokyo Quartets in the middle works and for Vermeer in the later ones is conditioned by the fact that I already own these recordings. If I hadn't, and did not have them for comparison, the Emerson Quartet would come up on top for all sixteen quartets. If you want an integrated set by one group, this is it. It's a pity that the early quartets are not available as a separate unit, but that's life.
The only complaint I have is that the price is barely competitive with other sets. $17 per CD? I don't think so. Just because DG's logo is yellow doesn't mean the discs are made of gold.
Free Music Review: Electrifying Beethoven Quartets from the Emerson Quartet
Hit: 5 Stars
They play fast, virtuosically, and as one; their individual playing is
stunningly good and their ensemble playing is uncanny. Their articulation of
small detail and their sense of overall architecture are both as good as it
gets. More with the Emerson Quartet than with any other quartet do I find
myself thinking: "They are one single instrument, top to bottom."
Another aspect of the Emerson's playing that is remarkable is their ability to provide tension and release. This kind of contrast is essential to Beethoven (and to most interesting music and performance). Presumably it accrues from the Emerson's ability to provide the tension, the excitement; then, the release has all the more impact. In any case, it works, from the earliest quartets through to opus 135. They also have an abundance of sweet tones, even in the highest and lowest registers, and true pitch.
How any individual likes or dislikes their playing of the Beethoven quartets
depends on the importance of the above merits to that individual. To me they
are very important and therefore I find the Emerson?s complete Beethoven
spectacular.
I recognize that they may leave some listeners wanting. Wanting what, I
don't know--the soft fuzzies, perhaps, or some contemplative quality
(whatever that means: Beethoven did the contemplating and this is what he
wrote--so now we play it). The Beethoven quartets are an extraordinary
traversal of the human condition and musical thought, as vast and deep as
any collection of any composer?s work as exists. Certainly, there are
numerous ways to tackle them, individually and as a set. The late quartets,
in their abstraction, allow for the largest variation in viable approaches.
The Emerson Quartet plays them well but so do others. Personally, I think the
Emersons have it almost to themselves--hands down--at least through the
Razumovskys. One can make stronger arguments in favor of others in the late quartets but the Emerson certainly holds its own at the very least.
Other fine string quartets that have recently made good recordings of the complete Beethoven quartets include the Talich Quartet, the Takacs Quartet, the Alban Berg Quartet,
and the Quatuor Vegh. The first three are similar, more or less, in most
ways; they each have pros and cons but overall are good. The Vegh is notably slower and "softer" than all of the others. Taken
by itself, with no comparisons, in a vacuum, the Vegh performances are highly satisfying;
when comparisons are available I tend to prefer more lively, crystalline,
exciting playing. The Emerson Quartet lies at the opposite end of that
Spectrum from the Vegh. Perhaps the Emersons reflect an American approach, the Vegh a more reflective European one.
The recording of the Emerson also seems to have more "presence" or
immediacy. Some may perceive this as providing less intimacy. To my
thinking, just me and my audio system in my own living room is pretty
intimate, so the Emersons satisfy in that regard.
In summary, the Emerson Quartet has made the most interesting, exciting, and well-played Beethoven set I've heard in years but I would not want to part with the exquisite playing of the Talich Quartet on the Calliope label and am happy to own both.
Free Music Review: Beethoven Mastery
Hit: 5 Stars
A cornerstone of any comprehensive Beethoven recording collection, Deutsche Grammophon 's recording of the Emerson String Quartet performing Beethoven's string quartets not only possesses excellent sonic characteristics, but also proves to be a rich performance by one of the outstanding string quartets of this generation. The technical accuracy of the Emerson's performance, coupled with the recording mastery of DG, provides a rewarding listening experience for any Beethoven fan, and perhaps particularly so for those interested in studying Beethoven's efforts within the string quartet genre. If you are a student of string quartets in general and Beethoven in particular, or if you are just looking for a great recording of all of Beethoven's string quartets, this set will undoubtedly become a valuable addition to your collection. Like me, you'll also likely find that these recordings will bring you years of enjoyment as you work through each of these stunningly performed pieces by the Emerson String Quartet. Free Music Review: An excellent collection for the Beethoven aficionado
Hit: 5 Stars
The Emerson String Quartet combine a strength of performance at the same time giving the listener subtle shades of color producing one of the supreme recordings of Beethovens string quartets ever. They've almost done the unattainable, by producing a new approach to this old musical literature, while maintaining integrity. They bring a level of thought to these performances that have rarely been matched. Enthusiastic and sensitive interpretations rolled into one.
This box set (autographed by each member, thank you very much) is my favorite interpretation. The Budapest, Busch, Guarneri, Talich and Vegh quartets are also very good, but these provide technical brilliance and are faithful to the score, while being heartwarming and intellectually inspiring. Also, these are definitely not cold readings, but ecstatic one's. I found them refreshing and different, and still deeply moving and of course, thrill with excitement.
The main reason I recommend these recordings is because they're carefully edited performances, so well edited in fact, that I never heard a single edit, and I'm a headphone listener. They recorded many takes (versions) so that they (the Emersons & producer Max Wilcox) could cherry pick the best parts within each movement, creating "the magic take" or at least something very close. I also read that they'd like to enjoy hearing these recordings someday, without worrying...could we have done it better? Sure, they could have done the "one take" perfectly (I've seen them live), but perfect doesn't necessarily mean...magical. They utilized the recording studio for all it's worth. Bravo!
These musicians have obviously polished their form to a high level of refinement, and anyone interested in the string quartets of Beethoven would likely rate this set as a valuable addition to their collection.
Highly recommended.