Album

Smetana Quartet

Beethoven: The Complete String Quartets

Catalogue Number: SU 4283-2
Published: 28th August 2020
Genre: Chamber Music
Format: 7 CD
A complete recording of Beethoven's string quartets, made by the Smetana Quartet for Nippon Columbia. The first release beyond Japan, it contains a voucher for download in Hi-Res 24 bit/192 kHz.

Ludwig van Beethoven - String Quartets: Op. 18 Nos. 1-6 (F major, G major, D major, C minor, A major, B flat major); Op. 59 Nos. 1-3, "Razumovsky" (F major, E minor, C major); in E flat major, Op. 74; in D minor, Op. 95, "Serioso"; in E flat major, Op. 127; in B flat major, Op. 130; The Great Fugue, Op. 133; in C sharp minor, Op. 131; in A minor, Op. 132; in F major, Op. 135; in F major, Hess 34 (an arrangement based on Piano Sonata in F major, Op. 14/1)
Smetana Quartet: Jiří Novák - first violin, Lubomír Kostecký - second violin, Milan Škampa - viola, Antonín Kohout - cello

The Smetana Quartet are a true legend. For over four decades (1945-1989), the ensemble gained critical acclaim and enthused audiences all over world, particularly in the UK, USA and Japan. They attained perfect chime and extraordinary flexibility in voice leading, resulting in part from their playing the entire repertoire by heart. The quartet performed Beethoven's works throughout their existence - following Smetana, he was the composer on whose music they focused the most and whose complete quartets were in their repertoire from 1974 onwards. They explored some of Beethoven's pieces for several years before including them in their concert programmes. In collaboration with a Supraphon team, in 1978 the ensemble embarked upon a colossal project, which in 1985 came to fruition with the release on Nippon Columbia of a recording of the complete Beethoven string quartets. Even though the past decade has seen significant changes pertaining to interpretation and technology, the Smetana Quartet's account of Beethoven's works is by no means a "museum exhibit", with their vivacity and dynamism still enthralling today's listeners. The recording, carefully digitally remastered from the original analogue tapes, is the very first release beyond Japan. Lovers of perfect sound are afforded the opportunity to listen to it Hi-Res 24 bit/192 kHz.

Beethoven according to the legendary Smetana Quartet. The first worldwide release.

Reviews

“Here we also have Beethoven's own quartet transcription of his Piano Sonata Op 14 No. 1, perceptively performed, as everything else in the set. If you find Quatuor Ébene just a little too immediate and full-on, then the Smetana's blend of poise and passion should prove ideal (though the Harp's Presto is a virtuoso tour de force).”
Gramophone, November 2020

“This is just glorious, fabulous, marvellous music making… These are as great as it gets in the Beethoven quartet's playing of amazing energy and rhythmic aptitude and gorgeous balance and flawless intonation and just great emotional intelligence and intensity… Just fantastic. You can enjoy every bar of every quartet.”
ClassicsToday.com, July 2021

CD 1

Ludwig van Beethoven
String Quartet No. 1 in F major, Op. 18
1. Allegro con brio 07:17
2. Adagio affettuoso ed appassionato 09:53
3. Scherzo. Allegro molto 03:27
4. Allegro 06:48
Ludwig van Beethoven
String Quartet No. 2 in G major, Op. 18
5. Allegro 07:27
6. Adagio cantabile. Allegro. Tempo I 05:49
7. Scherzo - Allegro 04:40
8. Allegro molto quasi presto 05:55
Ludwig van Beethoven
String Quartet No. 3 in D major, Op. 18
9. Allegro 04:50
10. Andante con moto 07:21
11. Allegro 02:58
12. Presto 05:34

CD 2

Ludwig van Beethoven
String Quartet No. 4 in C minor, Op. 18
1. Allegro ma non tanto 08:52
2. Scherzo - Andante scherzoso quasi allegretto 07:41
3. Menuetto - Allegretto 03:50
4. Allegro 04:35
Ludwig van Beethoven
String Quartet No. 5 in A major, Op. 18
5. Allegro 05:14
6. Menuetto 05:00
7. Andante cantabile 08:43
8. Allegro 05:20
Ludwig van Beethoven
String Quartet No. 6 in B flat major, Op. 18
9. Allegro con brio 06:00
10. Adagio, ma non troppo 06:59
11. Scherzo - Allegro 03:19
12. La Malinconia, adagio - Allegretto quasi allegro - Adagio - Prestissimo 07:52

CD 3

Ludwig van Beethoven
String Quartet No. 7 in F major, Op. 59, č. 1
1. Allegro 10:31
2. Allegretto vivace e sempre scherzando 08:40
3. Adagio molto e mesto (att.) 12:14
4. Theme russe. Allegro (att.) 08:22
Ludwig van Beethoven
String Quartet No. 8 in E minor (Razumovsky), Op. 59 No. 2
5. Allegro 09:38
6. Molto Adagio 10:42
7. Allegretto 06:26
8. Finale. Presto 05:18

CD 4

Ludwig van Beethoven
String Quartet No. 9 in C major (Razumovský), Op. 59, No. 3
1. Andante con moto. Allegro vivace 10:48
2. Andante con moto quasi Allegretto 09:40
3. Menuetto. Grazioso (att.) 05:01
4. Allegro molto (att.) 06:28
Ludwig van Beethoven
String Quartet No. 10 in E flat major Harfový, Op. 74
5. Poco Adagio. Allegro 09:36
6. Adagio ma non troppo 09:12
7. Presto 04:58
8. Allegretto con variazioni 06:19

CD 5

Ludwig van Beethoven
String Quartet No. 11 in F minor, Op. 95
1. Allegro con brio 04:41
2. Allegretto ma non troppo 06:24
3. Allegro assai vivace, ma serioso 04:06
4. Larghetto. Allegro agitato 04:37
Ludwig van Beethoven
String Quartet No. 13 in B flat major + Grosse Fuge, Op. 130
5. Adagio ma non troppo - Allegro 12:35
6. Presto 02:03
7. Andante con moto, ma non troppo 06:52
8. Alla Danza tedesca. Allegro assai 03:23
9. Cavatina. Adagio molto espressivo 07:07
10. Fugue. Overtura-Fuga. Allegro 14:45
11. Finale. Allegro 09:34

CD 6

Ludwig van Beethoven
String Quartet No. 12 in E flat major, Op. 127
1. Maestoso. Allegro 06:11
2. Adagio, ma non troppo e molto cantabile. Andante con moto. Adagio molto espressivo 15:19
3. Scherzando vivace. Presto 08:29
4. Finale 06:19
Ludwig van Beethoven
String Quartet No. 14 C Sharp minor Op. 131
5. Adagio, ma non troppo e molto espressione 07:12
6. Allegro molto vivace 03:17
7. Allegro moderato 00:51
8. Andante, ma non troppo e molto cantabile 14:05
9. Presto 06:11
10. Adagio quasi un poco andante 01:32
11. Allegro 06:35

CD 7

Ludwig van Beethoven
String Quartet No. 15 in A minor, Op. 132
1. Assai sostenuto-Allegro 09:20
2. Allegro ma non tanto 07:56
3. Molto adagio-Andante. Heiliger Dankesgesang eines Genesenen an die Gottheit in der lydischen Tonart 16:34
4. Alla marcia. Assai vivace. Piu allegro 02:13
5. Allegro appasionato. Presto 06:46
Ludwig van Beethoven
String Quartet No. 16 in F major, Op. 135
6. Allegretto 06:16
7. Vivace 03:47
8. Lento assai, cantante e tranquillo 06:37
9. Grave, ma non troppo tratto /tanto/ 07:04
Ludwig van Beethoven
String Quartet No. 1 in F major /after Piano Sonata in E major, op. 14/, Hess 34
10. Allegro moderato 06:31
11. Allegretto 03:04
12. Allegro 03:44

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