Beethoven: String Quartets, Op. 18, Nos. 1 & 5

On this CD:

1. String Quartet No. 1 in F major, Op. 18/1
Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven


2. String Quartet No. 5 in A major, Op. 18/5
Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven


Beethoven: String Quartets, Op. 18, Nos. 1 & 5, Music, Ludwig van Beethoven, Chamber, Chamber Music & Recitals, Classical, Classical Music, Quartet for Four String Instruments
Beethoven: String Quartets Opus 18 Nos 1 & 4 /Quatuor Mosaiques
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • The best
  • Superb Early Beethoven Quartets
 Beethoven: String Quartets Opus 18 Nos 1 & 4 /Quatuor Mosaiques

Manufacturer: Astree
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

QuartetsQuartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
All Works by BeethovenAll Works by Beethoven | Beethoven, Ludwig van | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
Chamber MusicChamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
Similar Items:
  1. Beethoven: String Quartets Opus 18 Nos. 5 & 6
  2. Beethoven: String Quartets Opus 18 Nos. 2 & 3
  3. Haydn: String Quartets Op 64 Nos 2, 4, 5 /Quatuor Mosaiques
  4. Haydn: String Quartets Op 64 Nos 1, 3, 6 /Quatuor Mosaiques
  5. Mozart: Clarinet Quintet; Kegelstatt Trio

ASIN: B0009275TI
Release Date: 2005-06-21

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars The best .......2007-03-16

This is the best performance of this music I have ever heard.

5 out of 5 stars Superb Early Beethoven Quartets.......2005-06-28

'A paradox, a paradox, a most ingenious paradox.' -- W. S. Gilbert, 'Pirates of Penzance'

I don't quite understand how this happens, but these performances of two of Beethoven's early quartets done by Quatuor Mosaïques on gut-strung instruments from the 17th and 18th centuries somehow sound more modern, more advanced than when played on modern instruments. One is used to hearing them played by modern-instrument quartets like the Emerson or the Takács Quartets and they sound quaint, Haydnesque, classical. In the present performances they sound dramatic, forward-looking and proto-Romantic. And, might I add, much more interesting. Obviously that is partly because Quatuor Mosaïques is a superb ensemble, but then so are the Emerson and the Takács. So, how to explain it? I think it has something to do with the SOUND of the instruments, softer, more rounded, more subtle, that is inherently more romantic in timbre than the clear-as-a-bell and almost clinical sound of 'modern' instruments. Whatever the explanation, these performances are, for me, revelatory.

Added to that is the discovery that pairing Op. 18, No. 1 with Op. 18, No. 4 points out their contrasts neatly. No. 1 is nominally in a major key (F major), No. 4 in minor (C minor). But No. 1 has a minor key movement (the Adagio affettuoso ed appassionato), No. 4 has one in the major (the Andante scherzoso). Beethoven's sketchbooks reveal that he labored long and hard on the No. 1 -- there are a total of fifteen pages devoted to polishing the little one-measure theme of Mvt. I and its working out. But there are no sketches at all for No. 4; it's as if Beethoven had written it out in a flash, like Mozart had done with so many of his works. Yet, No. 1 sounds like a brilliant improvisation and No. 4 has such a complex form and working out that it sounds like the end result of complicated effort on Beethoven's part. A paradox, a paradox.

These performances are simply superb. I have not generally been a fan of original instrument string quartet performances, at least in the early days, but the Quatuor Mosaïques seems head and shoulders above other similar groups. The members -- violins Erich Höbarth and Andrea Bischof, viola Anita Mitterer, and cello Christophe Coin -- met when they were all members of Nikolaus Harnoncourt's Concentus Musicus Wien, forming the quartet in 1989. They have risen to the top of their original-instrument category and indeed are among the finest quartets currently before the public. Their tuning is nigh perfect as is their ensemble. They play as one, and their musicianship is impeccable. They have been afforded lifelike sound by recording engineer Philip Nedel and producers Hervé Boissière and Helmut Muhle. Recorded in the Grafenegg Schloss 'Alte Reitschule' in Austria, the surround ambience gives them a natural aura.

They have already recorded the other four quartets of Op. 18, and I have Nos. 4 & 6 in my review queue. I have not acquired Nos. 2 and 3, but undoubtedly, because of the quality of this disc, will do so.

Urgently recomended, even to those who have multiple recordings of these quartets.

TT=55:32

Scott Morrison
Beethoven: The Early String Quartets Nos. 1 - 6, Op.18
Average customer rating: Not rated
    		Beethoven: The Early String Quartets Nos. 1 - 6, Op.18
    Beethoven , and Alban Berg Quartet
    Manufacturer: Capitol
    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

    GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
    ASIN: B00000DNGD
    Release Date: 1990-10-25
    Beethoven: String Quartets Nos. 1-5 Op.18, No. 3 Op. 59 [Germany]
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      		Beethoven: String Quartets Nos. 1-5 Op.18, No. 3 Op. 59 [Germany]
      Melos Quartett Stuttgart
      Manufacturer: Concerto Royale
      ProductGroup: Music
      Binding: Audio CD

      GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
      Similar Items:
      1. Beethoven: String Quartets Op. 74, 95, 127, 132, 133 & 135 [Germany]
      2. Schubert: 8 Symphonies

      ASIN: B00005NUQE
      Release Date: 2006-04-27

      Tracks:

      1. String Quartet No.1 In F Major, Op.18/1
      2. String Quartet No.2 In G Major, Op.18/2
      3. String Quartet No.3 In D Major, Op.18/3
      4. String Quartet No.5 In A Major, Op.18/5
      5. String Quartet No.4 In C Minor, Op.18/4
      6. String Quartet In C Major, Op.59/3
      Beethoven: Early String Quartets Op.18, Nos.1-6
      Average customer rating: Not rated
        		Beethoven: Early String Quartets Op.18, Nos.1-6

        Manufacturer: Everest Records
        ProductGroup: Music
        Binding: Audio CD

        QuartetsQuartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
        GeneralGeneral | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
        All Works by BeethovenAll Works by Beethoven | Beethoven, Ludwig van | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
        GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
        ASIN: B0000023HK
        Release Date: 1996-06-18

        Tracks:

        1. The Early String Quartets, Op.18, No.1 In F Major: Allegro con brio
        2. The Early String Quartets, Op.18, No.1 In F Major: Adagio affetuoso ed appassionato
        3. The Early String Quartets, Op.18, No.1 In F Major: Scherzo: Allegro molto
        4. The Early String Quartets, Op.18, No.1 In F Major: Allegro
        5. The Early String Quartets, Op.18, No.2 In G Major: Allegro
        6. The Early String Quartets, Op.18, No.2 In G Major: Adagio cantabile
        7. The Early String Quartets, Op.18, No.2 In G Major: Scherzo: Allegro
        8. The Early String Quartets, Op.18, No.2 In G Major: Allegro molto quasi presto
        9. The Early String Quartets, Op.18, No.3 In D Major: Allegro
        10. The Early String Quartets, Op.18, No.3 In D Major: Andante con moto
        11. The Early String Quartets, Op.18, No.3 In D Major: Allegro
        12. The Early String Quartets, Op.18, No.3 In D Major: Presto

        Tracks:

        1. The Early String Quartets, Op.18, No.4 In C Minor: Allegro ma non tanto
        2. The Early String Quartets, Op.18, No.4 In C Minor: Scherzo: Andante scherzoso quasi allegro
        3. The Early String Quartets, Op.18, No.4 In C Minor: Menuetto: Allegretto
        4. The Early String Quartets, Op.18, No.4 In C Minor: Allegro
        5. The Early String Quartets, Op.18, No.5 In A Major: Allegro
        6. The Early String Quartets, Op.18, No.5 In A Major: Menuetto
        7. The Early String Quartets, Op.18, No.5 In A Major: Andante contabile
        8. The Early String Quartets, Op.18, No.5 In A Major: Allegro
        9. The Early String Quartets, Op.18, No.6 In B-Flat Major: Allegro con brio
        10. The Early String Quartets, Op.18, No.6 In B-Flat Major: Adagio, ma non troppo
        11. The Early String Quartets, Op.18, No.6 In B-Flat Major: Scherzo: Allegro
        12. La Malinconia, Adagio; Allegretto quasi allegro
        Beethoven: String Quartets Nos. 1 & 2 Op.18
        Average customer rating: Not rated
          		Beethoven: String Quartets Nos. 1 & 2 Op.18
          Gewandhaus Quartett
          Manufacturer: Nca
          ProductGroup: Music
          Binding: Audio CD

          Chamber MusicChamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
          GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
          GeneralGeneral | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
          ClassicalClassical | Imports | Stores | Music
          ASIN: B0000TAUS8
          Release Date: 2006-05-08
          Beethoven: String Quartets (Op. 18, Nos. 1 & 4)
          Average customer rating: Not rated
            		Beethoven: String Quartets (Op. 18, Nos. 1 & 4)
            Ludwig van Beethoven
            Manufacturer: MD&G Records
            ProductGroup: Music
            Binding: Audio CD

            QuartetsQuartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
            GeneralGeneral | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
            All Works by BeethovenAll Works by Beethoven | Beethoven, Ludwig van | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
            All Works by Wolfgang Amadeus MozartAll Works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
            All Works by SchubertAll Works by Schubert | Schubert, Franz | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
            Chamber MusicChamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
            GeneralGeneral | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
            GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
            ASIN: B00004TVEX
            Release Date: 2000-08-22

            Tracks:

            1. Qt in F, Op.18 No.1: Allegro Con Brio
            2. Qt in F, Op.18 No.1: Adagio Affetuoso Ed Appassionato
            3. Qt in F, Op.18 No.1: Scherzo. Allegro Molto
            4. Qt in F, Op.18 No.1: Allegro
            5. Qt in c, Op.18 No.4: Allegro Ma Non Tanto
            6. Qt in c, Op.18 No.4: Andante Scherzoso Quasi Allegretto
            7. Qt in c, Op.18 No.4: Menuetto. Allegro
            8. Qt in c, Op.18 No.4: Allegretto
            9. Str Qt in g, D.173: Allegro Con Brio
            10. Str Qt in F, Op.1,3: Andante Con Espressione
            11. Str Qt in F, KV 590: Allegro
            Beethoven: The Early String Quartets (Nos. 1 - 6, Op.18)
            Average customer rating: Not rated
              		Beethoven: The Early String Quartets (Nos. 1 - 6, Op.18)

              Manufacturer: EMI
              ProductGroup: Music
              Binding: Audio CD
              ASIN: B00099DLYE

              Product Description

              U.K. Import
              Beethoven: String Quartets Nos. 1-6 Op.18
              Average customer rating: Not rated
                		Beethoven: String Quartets Nos. 1-6 Op.18
                Gewandhaus
                Manufacturer: Nca
                ProductGroup: Music
                Binding: Audio CD

                Chamber MusicChamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
                GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
                GeneralGeneral | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
                ClassicalClassical | Imports | Stores | Music
                ASIN: B00015T1MW
                Release Date: 2006-05-08

                Tracks:

                1. String Quartets Op.18, Nos. 1 - 6
                2. String Quartets Op.59 Nos. 1 - 3
                3. String Quartet In E Flat Major Op.74
                4. String Quartet In F Minor Op.95
                5. String Quartets Op. 127, 130 - 132, 135
                6. Great Fugue B Flat Major Op.133
                7. String Quartet In Major After The Piano Sonata In E Major Op.14 No.1
                Beethoven: String Quartets Op. 18 Nos. 1, 4, & 6, Op. 59 Nos. 3 "Razmovsky", Op. 05 "Serioso"; String Quintet Op. 29
                Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
                • excellent, but some newer recordings are even finer.
                • Audio quality is amazingly good!
                		 Beethoven: String Quartets Op. 18 Nos. 1, 4, & 6, Op. 59 Nos. 3 "Razmovsky", Op. 05 "Serioso"; String Quintet Op. 29

                Manufacturer: Sony
                ProductGroup: Music
                Binding: Audio CD

                QuartetsQuartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
                QuintetsQuintets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
                GeneralGeneral | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
                All Works by BeethovenAll Works by Beethoven | Beethoven, Ludwig van | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
                GeneralGeneral | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
                General ModernGeneral Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
                Budapest String QuartetBudapest String Quartet | ( B ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
                GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
                Classical MusicClassical Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music
                ASIN: B0000029VB
                Release Date: 1997-06-03

                Tracks:

                1. String Quartet in C minor, Op. 18, No. 4 c-moll
                2. String Quartet in C minor, Op. 18, No. 4 c-moll
                3. String Quartet in C minor, Op. 18, No. 4 c-moll
                4. String Quartet in C minor, Op. 18, No. 4 c-moll
                5. String Quartet in C major, Op. 59, No. 3 'Razumovs
                6. String Quartet in C major, Op. 59, No. 3 'Razumovs
                7. String Quartet in C major, Op. 59, No. 3 'Razumovs
                8. String Quartet in C major, Op. 59, No. 3 'Razumovs
                9. String Quartet in F major, Op. 18, No. 1 F-Dur/
                10. String Quartet in F major, Op. 18, No. 1 F-Dur/
                11. String Quartet in F major, Op. 18, No. 1 F-Dur/
                12. String Quartet in F major, Op. 18, No. 1 F-Dur/

                Tracks:

                1. String Quartet in F minor, Op. 95, 'Serioso'
                2. String Quartet in F minor, Op. 95, 'Serioso'
                3. String Quartet in F minor, Op. 95, 'Serioso'
                4. String Quartet in F minor, Op. 95, 'Serioso'
                5. String Quartet in B-flat major, Op.18, No. 6 B-Dur
                6. String Quartet in B-flat major, Op.18, No. 6 B-Dur
                7. String Quartet in B-flat major, Op.18, No. 6 B-Dur
                8. String Quartet in B-flat major, Op.18, No. 6 B-Dur
                9. String Quartet in C major, Op.29, C-Dur
                10. String Quartet in C major, Op.29, C-Dur
                11. String Quartet in C major, Op.29, C-Dur
                12. String Quartet in C major, Op.29, C-Dur

                Customer Reviews:

                4 out of 5 stars excellent, but some newer recordings are even finer........1999-08-08

                Remarkably good sound for the period. Playing is consistently fine, but progress is inevitable, and some more recent performances (and sound quality) have surpassed this. For example, Quartetto Italiano, Emerson, Juilliard.

                5 out of 5 stars Audio quality is amazingly good!.......1999-02-22

                These are from 78s, but they sound great! Don't let the oldness of the recordings put you off.
                Beethoven: String Quartets, Op. 18, Nos. 1 & 5
                Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
                • Gorgeous Set to Own!
                		 Beethoven: String Quartets, Op. 18, Nos. 1 & 5

                Manufacturer: Arte Nova Records
                ProductGroup: Music
                Binding: Audio CD

                QuartetsQuartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
                GeneralGeneral | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
                All Works by BeethovenAll Works by Beethoven | Beethoven, Ludwig van | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
                GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
                CDs Under $7CDs Under $7 | Classical General | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music
                All Bargain TitlesAll Bargain Titles | Classical General | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music
                ASIN: B000026CMC
                Release Date: 2000-06-06

                Tracks:

                1. Str Qt Op.18 No.1: Allegro Con Brio
                2. Str Qt Op.18 No.1: Adagio Affettuoso Ed Appassionato
                3. Str Qt Op.18 No.1: Scherzo. Allegro Molto
                4. Str Qt Op.18 No.1: Allegro
                5. Str Qt Op.18 No.5: Allegro
                6. Str Qt Op.18 No.5: Menuetto
                7. Str Qt Op.18 No.5: Andante Cantabile. Thema-Var I-V. Coda (Poco Adagio)
                8. Str Qt Op.18 No.5: Allegro

                Customer Reviews:

                5 out of 5 stars Gorgeous Set to Own!.......2002-12-31

                I'm really writing about the entire nine-disc set of Beethoven String Quartets performed by the Alexander String Quartet. I encountered the Arte Nova boxed set while visiting a Tower Record store over a year ago as I began building a CD collection of classical music. The price, under $$$, seemed impossible, so I set out to learn more about the group and these performances in particular. It was during this process that I learned the group is in-residence at San Francisco State University not far from where I live. Then I discovered that the performances were recorded in a small church even closer to where I live. The reviews were glowing, so I took the plunge and bought the boxed set. Looking back it seems the best investment I've so far made. The performances are alive and brilliant. No doubt the fact they were recorded digitally contributes to the immediacy and clarity of the Alexander Quartet's playing. I'm listening to Op. 18, No. 5, as I write this and am once again moved by the range of emotions conveyed by these four musicians. I have since added performances by prominent groups on major labels to my collection and NOTHING is better than what I'm listening to at the moment. I'm especially moved by Beethoven's late quartets, but today, after listening to Op. 33 by Haydn I wanted to compare these early pieces with Beethoven's first quartets. I'm listening, no doubt, to some of the most exquisite music ever written. How fortunate I feel! Although Amazon lists these discs out of stock, I encourage anyone who stumbles upon my review to search them out. You won't be disappointed.

                Music Track:

                1. Beethoven: String Quartets, Opp. 95 & 127
                2. Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 3
                3. Brahms: Cellos Sonatas Op. 38 & 99 [Import]
                4. Brahms: Ein Duetsches Requiem (German Requiem)
                5. Brahms: Piano Trios 1-3 / Piano Quintet
                6. Brahms: Violin Concerto in D Op77; Bloch: Concerto for violin
                7. Byrd: Mass for Five Voices
                8. Cage: The City Wears a Slouch Hat/Fads & Fancies in the Academy/A Chant with Claps
                9. Cage:The Piano Works I
                10. Cage: Two^6; Four No3

                Music Track

                music track

                Recommended Music:

                Rogues Gallery

                Symphony 2 Resurrection / Symphony 4

                Thelonious Himself [Import]

                Music: Vivaldi: Concertos Op8

                Switch, Vol. 5 [Import]

                The Final Chapter [Import]

                the Collection

                The Least We Can Do Is Wave to Each Other [Original recording remastered]

                The Sun Years, Vol. 3

                Sonos Handbell Ensemble

                Swingin Machednia [Import] [Original recording remastered]

                Take A Closer Look

                Tangos Del Sur V.1 [Import]

                Bootyz in Motion

                Woodsmoke and Oranges/Jack-Knife Gypsy