Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven
Performer: Yale String Quartet, Griller String Quartet
Number of Discs: 3
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Vanguard
Release: 2006
Size: 863 MB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: cover
CD 01
String Quartet No. 12 in E Flat Major, Op. 127
01. I. Maestoso – Allegro
02. II. Adagio, ma non troppo e molto cantabile
03. III. Scherzando vivace
04. IV. Finale
String Quartet No. 14 in C Sharp Minor, Op. 131
05. I. Adagio ma non troppo e molto espressivo
06. II. Allegro molto vivace
07. III. Allegro moderato
08. IV. Andante ma non troppo
09. V. Presto
10. VI. Adagio quasi un poco andante
11. VII. Allegro
CD 02
String Quartet No. 13 in B Flat Major, Op. 130
01. I. Adagio ma non troppo – Allegro
02. II. Presto
03. V. Cavatina (Adagio molto espressivo)
04. IV. Alla Danza Tedesca: Llegro Assai
String Quartet No. 15 in A Minor, Op. 132
05. I. Assai sosteenuto – Allegro
06. III. Canzona di ringraziamento (Molto adagio) – Sentendo nuova forza (Andante)
07. V. Allegro apassionato
CD 03
String Quartet No. 16 in F Major, Op. 135
01. I. Allegretto
String Quartet No. 13 in B Flat Major, Op. 130
02. III. Andante con moto ma non troppo. Poco scherzando
03. IV. Alla danza tedesca (Allegro assai)
String Quintet No. 4 in G Minor, K. 516
04. I. Allegro
String Quartet No. 15 in A Minor, Op. 132
05. II. Allegro ma non tanto
06. IV. All marcia, assai vivace – Più allegro – Presto
String Quartet No. 16 in F Major, Op. 135
07. IV. Der schwer gefasste Entschluss¸ (Grave – Allegro – Grave ma non troppo tratto – Allegro)
08. III. Lento assai, cantante e tranquillo
09. II. Vivace
Originally released in the late ’60s and early ’70s, the Yale String Quartet’s recordings of Beethoven’s late quartets were the special favorites of the cerebral set. Renown for their acuity, austerity, and asceticism, the Yale’s recordings were equally praised for their warmth, wit, and humanity. In their time, the Yale’s performances were said to be on the same level as the Amadeus Quartet’s sweetly lucid performances, the Quartetto Italiano’s tonally beautiful performances, and even the Quatour Végh’s sublimely spiritual performances. But while those groups’ recordings have remained in print more or less continuously down through the digital era, the Yale Quartet’s recordings returned again only briefly on CD, then departed almost as quickly. In this superb 2006 reissue, the Yale Quartet’s late quartets have once more come back into print — and they sound every bit as good as their reputation. From the simple serenity of the Cavatina to the intellectual vigor of the Grosse Fuge or the ecstatic rapture of the Heiliger Dankgesang, the Yale Quartet is wholly as one with every aspect of the music and expresses it all in waves of overwhelming intensity. Anyone who loves the late quartets should hear these performances. Fine in its time, Vanguard’s stereo recording sounds crisper and deeper on CD. Possibly it’s the loss of all that surface noise.