Artemis Quartet!
Beethoven:
String Quartet No. 1 in F major, Op. 18 No. 1
String Quartet No. 12 in E flat major, Op. 127
This is a recent release by this fine European quartet. The music is exciting, revealing new delicate aspects of Beethoven’s scores. And… it is an interesting pairing of the very first Beethoven quartet (Op. 18, number 1), with the number 12, which is a member of the group of quartets which Beethoven wrote a the very end of his life.
The tracks of this new CD are:
1. I. Allegro con brio. – String Quartet No.1 in F major Op.18 No.1
2. II. Adagio affettuoso ed appassionato. – String Quartet No.1 in F major Op.18 No.1
3. III. Scherzo (Allegro molto) & Trio. – String Quartet No.1 in F major Op.18 No.1
4. IV. Allegro. – String Quartet No.1 in F major Op.18 No.1
5. I. Maestoso – Allegro. – String Quartet No.12 in E flat major Op.127
6. II. Adagio ma non troppo, molto cantabile. – String Quartet No.12 in E flat major Op.127
7. III. Scherzando vivace. – String Quartet No.12 in E flat major Op.127
8. IV. Finale. – String Quartet No.12 in E flat major Op.127
In 2011, the Artemis Quartet will release the complete cycle of the Beethoven string quartets on Virgin Classics.
The following press quote comes closest to the way I feel about the marvelous interpretations of this music:
“…there’s an astringent, dramatic quality to the playing, which is most effective in the “String Quartet No 12 in E flat major”, making light work of the change in the second movement from lachrymose introversion to something akin to a jaunty dance, and back into bleakness again two minutes later”
The Independent, 8th October 2010 ***
Here is the Artemis Quartet performing the Adagio from Beethoven’s Quartet Op. 18, number 1, as an encore at the Theatre de Champs Elysees in Paris, October 2008.
What wonderful, warm, dramatic, and exciting playing! I hear all sorts of voices that were previously obscured in performances of other groups.
If you would like to purchase the CD at Amazon, please click on the image below to begin your purchase:
Tags: Artemis Quartet, Beethoven, Op. 127, Op. 18