Beethoven: The Early Quartets

This is the 1st part of my full review of the Takacs string quartets. Part 2 is for the 'middle' Quartets and Part 3 for the Late Quartets.

I am a Busch Quartet Lover (as are the Takacs players themselves) so those quartets loom in the back of my mind as the standard against which other performances are measured. Since the Busch performances were loved against years of listening to many other quartets as well, it is high praise for the Takacs that I consider the Takacs often their equal, and on some occasions (op59 no3) even superiour.

There is only one existing Busch recording of the Op18 quartets, that being No.1. In comparison, the Takacs come off rather badly. They give an immaculately played, yet rather relaxed version, and the slow movement really misses the depths that the Busch find. The thrilling breakneck mad ride given by the Busch in the last movement also leaves the rather staid Takacs looking utterly vanilla. So a competent, if rather boring lead off by the Takacs left me thinking this whole set might only be 3 stars or so. Fortunately, it gets better. (and no more Busch for withering comparisons!)

In fact Nos 2 3 and 4 are all fantastic performances in my book, nearly ideal. The outer movements storm, rage, dance, play, laugh and sing in equal measure, the slow movements enchant with Haydnesque wit and Beethovinian curios, and the scherzos rip along with a great deal of fun. This is marvelous music marvelously played and is worth the price of admittance itself. I particularly love the outrageous 1st movement of No3 which the Takacs take to its full dramatic height overdoing things as much as possible. Im sure Beethoven is smiling somewhere.

For comparison they are much more vital performances than the Talich, much more secure than the Lindsay, and rather more consistent than the Vegh (and much better recorded). My favorite performances of all 3.

Nos 5 and 6 compete with the outstanding Quartor Mosaiques disc (on original instruments). Those who know the Mosaiques appreciate how surely they play right from the heart of the music. They seem to capture the real Beethoven better than anyone since the Busch and its almost impossible to not be utterly enchanted by their performances. However, they do lack the fire that quartets such as the Busch, Berg, and Takacs have in abundance.

Certainly in the Takacs Op18 no5 and 6 there is plenty of satisfying fire and they improve upon the Mosaiques in that way. On the other hand they only touch the heart of the music intermittently, sometimes falling to their old trick from the middle quartet series of the repetative "crescendo effect". Also, Duisinberre seems particularly fond of heavy vibrato on occasion here, which really mars the opening of the No5 slow movement for example.

Still, these are very fine performances and only get showed up in comparison to the heartfelt rightness that is a special talent of the Mosaiques. The added fire and brilliance the Takacs bring even lets me prefer them somedays.

Overall then another fine addition to the Takacs complete set. There are no perfect collections of Beethoven's quartets and even bad performances will bring out unique insights. But for overall quality, both in terms of interpretation and recording, the Takacs are looking like the ones to beat (for the complete set anyway).

What do you get when you have the intonation and technical accuracy of the Emerson Quartet with the emotional charge and depth of the Vegh Quartet or The Lindsays?

The Takacs, already unparalleled in Bartók, take on Beethoven - win Gramophone Awards all along the way and, in technical terms: Kick ... you-know-what!

Don't trust me, though - read up on this in American Record Guide, Fanfare, on Gramophone et al. ... this is part of a complete Beethoven set that any lover of Beethoven needs, pretty much regardless of how many complete sets you already own.

The very same, by the way, goes for their recordings of the Razumovsky and Harp quartets - even though competition is even tougher in those...

Although termed "early" works, Beethoven's first Op. 18 Quartets were composed when he was already thirty - showing the maturity of having dozens of brilliant compositions behind him. Prior to Op. 18, Beethoven wrote five glorious works in the "classical tradition" for string Trio (Op. 3, 8, 9) that are neglected treasures (The Leopold Trio has two splendid recordings on Hyperion). Accordingly, the first Op. 18 quartets retain some of Haydn's and Mozart's structures and mannerisms, but slowly begin the journey towards the drama, intricacy and revolutionally textures and form of the latter quartets. One example is the unusually emotional and poinantly tragic slow movement of Op. 18 No. 1 - a piece revealing the first glimmer of Beethoven's extraordinary and unique depth that was to blossom fully years later. Curiously enough, while Beethoven was just getting started with the quartet medium with his Op. 18 works at the turn of the century, an aging Joseph Haydn was completing was to be his last Op. 77 quartets - essentially passing the torch to the next generation.

Such legendary movements as the one mentioned and many others on this CD are played with the utmost skill and consumate passion by the Takacs Quartet. Their rich tonalities, keen sense of building drama and precise ensemble in the cresendos and shifts all combine to produce a statureque performance. In a way, they carry the torch from legendary quartets like the Quartetto Italiano with their warm, emotive playing. In their Beethoven series, the Takacs have Edward Dusinberre as lead violin who is an extraordinary musician who can exude incredible nuance and beauty. Also of note, in 2005 violist Geraldine Walther replaced Roger Tapping (also a fine addition). Their playing in these quartets is of the highest caliber and show an remarkable expressive range, making this one of the finer modern recordings along side the legendary recordings. This set received wide praise from most of the mainstream music press and several awards - although their Op. 59 and late quartets seem the brightest gems. Additionally, the sound quality is bright, clear and optimally resonant. If you are looking for a complete budget set, the Quartetto Italiano or the Alban Berg are excellent choices.