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Beethoven - The Middle Quartets

£25.71

In stock - available for despatch within 1 working day

Label: Signum

Cat No: SIGCD872

Barcode: 0635212087220

Format: CD

Number of Discs: 3

Genre: Chamber

Release Date: 13th September 2024

Works

Beethoven, Ludwig van

String Quartet no.7 in F major, op.59 no.1 'Razumovsky'
String Quartet no.8 in E minor, op.59 no.2 'Razumovsky'
String Quartet no.9 in C major, op.59 no.3 'Razumovsky'
String Quartet no.10 in E flat major, op.74 'Harp'
String Quartet no.11 in F minor, op.95 'Serioso'

Artists

Calidore Quartet

Works

Beethoven, Ludwig van

Artists

Calidore Quartet

About

The second in their award-winning series, the Calidore Quartet return with a three-disc album of the Middle Quartets.

Their Beethoven performances have been described as “shockingly deep” by LA Times. The first album of Late Quartets won the Chamber Music Award at the BBC Music Magazine Awards 2024.

Their interpretation is informed by their diverse set of mentors, which includes Alban Berg, Emerson and Guarneri and yet still uniquely represents the sentiments, aesthetics and research of their generation.

Their interpretations of Beethoven are already critically acclaimed with performances at the Lincoln Center planned as part of their residency.

Sound/Video

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1

String Quartet No.7 in F major, op.59 no.1 ‘Razumovsky’: 1. Allegro
2

String Quartet No.7 in F major, op.59 no.1 ‘Razumovsky’: 2. Allegretto vivace e sempre scherzando
3

String Quartet No.7 in F major, op.59 no.1 ‘Razumovsky’: 3. Adagio molto e mesto
4

String Quartet No.7 in F major, op.59 no.1 ‘Razumovsky’: 4. Allegro (Thème russe)
5

String Quartet No.8 in E minor, op.59 no.2 ‘Razumovsky’: 1. Allegro
6

String Quartet No.8 in E minor, op.59 no.2 ‘Razumovsky’: 2. Molto adagio
7

String Quartet No.8 in E minor, op.59 no.2 ‘Razumovsky’: 3. Allegretto
8

String Quartet No.8 in E minor, op.59 no.2 ‘Razumovsky’: 4. Finale. Presto
9

String Quartet No.9 in C major, op.59 no.3 ‘Razumovsky’: 1. Andante con moto – Allegro vivace
10

String Quartet No.9 in C major, op.59 no.3 ‘Razumovsky’: 2. Andante con moto quasi allegretto
11

String Quartet No.9 in C major, op.59 no.3 ‘Razumovsky’: 3. Menuetto & Trio
12

String Quartet No.9 in C major, op.59 no.3 ‘Razumovsky’: 4. Allegro molto
13

String Quartet No.10 in E flat major, op.74 ‘Harp’: 1. Poco adagio – Allegro
14

String Quartet No.10 in E flat major, op.74 ‘Harp’: 2. Adagio ma non troppo
15

String Quartet No.10 in E flat major, op.74 ‘Harp’: 3. Presto – Più presto quasi prestissimo
16

String Quartet No.10 in E flat major, op.74 ‘Harp’: 4. Allegretto con variazioni
17

String Quartet No.11 in F minor, op.95 ‘Serioso’: 1. Allegro con brio
18

String Quartet No.11 in F minor, op.95 ‘Serioso’: 2. Allegretto ma non troppo
19

String Quartet No.11 in F minor, op.95 ‘Serioso’: 3. Allegro assai vivace, ma serioso
20

String Quartet No.11 in F minor, op.95 ‘Serioso’: 4. Larghetto espressivo – Allegretto agitato – Allegro

Europadisc Review

Every year we receive many more releases than we’re able to review, and 2024 has been no exception. Among those that caught our ear is the ongoing cycle of Beethoven’s complete string quartets on the Signum label. Performed by the New-York based Calidore String Quartet, it’s one of a number of cycles by a new generation of quartets, but it has particularly impressed us with its consistency and excellence: intonation, ensemble and rhythmic drive are all exemplary. While they don’t go down the road of adopting an historically-informed (as do the Cuarteto Casals on their outstanding Harmonia Mundi cycle), they give these challenging works plenty of transparency and air to breathe, while maintaining an often thrilling forward impetus. Their set of the late quartets (released in February 2023) won BBC Music magazine’s Chamber Music award.

In September this year, the second volume was released, and we’re pleased to give it our attention now. Working backwards through the cycle, this three-disc set focuses on the ‘Middle Quartets’, presented in numerical order (always handy if you’re hurriedly trying to locate a particular work). The three mighty Op.59 quartets composed for Count Razumovsky in 1806 are followed by the single quartets of Op.74 (the ‘Harp’, 1809) and Op.95 (‘Serioso’, 1810). These five works plunge the listener into the height of Beethoven’s ‘Middle’ or ‘Heroic’ period, and the Calidores rise magnificently to the challenge, combining vigorous energy with penetrating insight.

The first of the ‘Razumovsky’ begins with a long-breathed theme in the cello, accompanied by chugging quavers from the second violin and viola. Most quartets take this as a cue for a fairly expansive tempo, but here it’s a true Allegro, and the momentum barely lets up through the course of the movement. This is typical of the approach to the three Op.59 works, but the slow movement (placed third, and marked Adagio molto e mesto) contains some exquisitely delicate textures, which are then transformed into airy freshness in the concluding Allegro with its joyous Russian theme main subject.

Op.59 no.2 in E minor is an altogether more serious work, and here the players adopt a more rhetorical approach in the austere first movement, observing the exposition repeat but not that of the development and recapitulation. This doesn’t prevent the first violin and viola from tossing the cadential figuration to and fro with thrilling abandon towards the end of the exposition, and the playing throughout is gloriously incisive. The hymnlike second movement is given a deeply considered reading, and there’s a spiky energy to the Allegretto third movement which frames the filigree decoration that accompanies the Trio’s Russian theme (familiar from its later use by, among others, Mussorgsky, Tchaikovsky and Stravinsky).

The mood changes again with the C major Quartet, op.59 no.3. Its slow introduction, which gives way to a particularly exuberant Allegro vivace, has about it shades of Mozart’s ‘Dissonance’ Quartet, and the fast music here has a charming poise. The second movement, marked Andante con moto quasi allegretto, is taken at a fairly steady pace, too, taking its cue from the rather mournful cello pizzicato that underpins much of its progress. But it is the concluding Allegro molto that really catches the attention, bubbling over with high spirits in one of the fastest (and most infectiously enjoyable) performances on disc.

In the first movement Allegro of the ‘Harp’, the Calidore players find the perfect tempo at which to bring out the gentle energy of the pizzicato passages that give the work its nickname, while the Adagio ma non troppo slow movement is given a prayerfully inward reading that anticipates the world of the late quartets. The Presto third movement is an urgently tempestuous ride, and there’s no let up in its fugal major-key interludes. Only in the variations of the finale is a measure of relaxation found, with a lovely throw-away ending.

Closing the set is the ‘Serioso’ Quartet, and the players give no quarter in bringing out the music’s febrile vigour, their unity of attack in the opening Allegro con brio, with its alarming outbursts, is second to none. Once again, the slow movement is given plenty of thoughtful musical space, from which the ‘serioso’ third movement bursts with extraordinary fire, contrasting with the carefully shaped contours of its trio section. The slow introduction to the final movement is another of those points where the mysteries of the late quartets seem very nearby, and it gives way to another turbulent main tempo. But – as so often throughout these performances – the Calidore Quartet are expert at illuminating the light and shade of the music’s textures, at moments achieving a Mendelssohnian translucency, and nowhere more so than in the zippy Allegro coda.

With the Op.18 Quartets due for release next month to complete the cycle, the Calidores’ traversal of these mighty works can be comfortably recommended as among the most accomplished Beethoven sets of recent decades, and it stands up strongly even in comparison with the great vintages of the past. The combination of clarity, unanimity of purpose, interpretative weight, flair and transparency make these recordings hugely persuasive, and they should not be missed!

Reviews

Any new recording of Beethoven’s quartets will provoke argument. Preconceptions inevitably play their part. What cannot be denied is the sophistication and sheer polish – in tuning, rhythm and ensemble – of the Calidore’s Beethoven. ... The throwaway, laugh-it all-off coda [of op.95] gets feathery lightness and pinpoint precision: a miniature tour de force that sets the seal on Beethoven-playing of rare vividness and technical aplomb. Richard Wigmore (Recording of the Month)

Gramophone October 2024

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Condition	Description
New	Brand new item, only ever sourced from the official UK distributor. Usually seal-wrapped, although a minority of labels do not use seal-wrap.
Used - Mint	Used item in excellent condition. Not usually seal-wrapped.
Used - Good	Used item with some minor signs of wear and tear. Never seal-wrapped.
Used - Acceptable	Used item with obvious scuffs or cosmetic damage to the case or booklet. Never seal-wrapped.

Condition	Description
New	Brand new item, only ever sourced from the official UK distributor. Usually seal-wrapped, although a minority of labels do not use seal-wrap.
Used - Mint	Used item in excellent condition. Not usually seal-wrapped.
Used - Good	Used item with some minor signs of wear and tear. Never seal-wrapped.
Used - Acceptable	Used item with obvious scuffs or cosmetic damage to the case or booklet. Never seal-wrapped.

Beethoven - The Middle Quartets

In stock - available for despatch within 1 working day

Despatch Information

Contents

Works

Artists

Works

Artists

About

Sound/Video

Paused

Europadisc Review

Reviews

Also Available

£82.75

£13.34

£13.34

£13.34

£5.95

Condition Information

Condition Information