String Quartets [CD]

The Artemis Qt. didn't cross my path until a few years ago, but the Berlin-based ensemble began in 1989, modeling itself, according to their website, on the Emerson, Juilliard, and Alban Berg Quartets. Those influences are pretty varied, and each has a more distinct profile than the Artemis. I'd say they are fairly streamlined, though not as anti-romantic as the Emersons, and nicely expressive, though not with the intensity of the Alban Berg. A beautiful sound s one of their major assets.

This Beethoven CD, only their second since 2005, comes off as Emerson lite. Which is no bad thing -- the Artemis have kept a fresh, buoyant approach to Op. 18 No. 4 without driving it too hard. Rubato is allowed; phrasing is often yielding and thoughtful. I'm reminded more of Haydn than the Beethoven that is to come, but that's fine in its chaste way. Ensemble is exemplary, and the sound of each instrument is very plesing as it blends into the whole. The only drawback, perhaps, is a certain suprficiality in the pursuit of elegance.

Far more telling is the 'Razumovsky' Op. 59 No. 2, a hallmark of Beethoven's heroic middle period. The advance beyond Op. 18 is enormous, and the playing should reflect that. Hee is where the Emersons were strikingly modern and propulsive, and where, at the oposite extreme, the Alban Berg were at their most intensely expressive. The Artemis arena't as distinctive, but they exhibit plenty of musicality and virtuosic technique. Perfect intonation and ensemble go a long way; those are the first things you notice, before any interpretive insights. The first movement is fleet and exciting, expressive pauses kept to a minimum.

Like almost everyone in the wake of the Emersons, the second movement "Molto Adagio" is faster than that, taken here a bit efficiently for my taste. But each member of the Artemis brings nice musical touches to every phrase -- the ovrall effect keeps you emotionally involved. The Schrzo is fairly smoothed out, without sharp angles and changes of gear. As a middle way between breakaway modernism and soft-grained traditionalism, this account steers a nice course. The finale is played very fast and light, like Mendelssohn in Beethoven's shoes. Persoanlly, I'd wish for something more forceful and slowed down, but I appreciate what the Artemis are doing, and they have a great advantage in not sounding as fierce as, say, the Takacs Qt. on Decca.

In all, the Artemis don't set out to revolutionize Beethoven playing. They keep to a moderate course, having learned lessons from some modern teachers while remaining warmly expressive. The result is very enjoyable, and I hope a complete Beethoven cycle is in the offing.

P.S. - This recording went on to win multiple awards in Europe. It was the first in the Artemis Beethoven cycle to introduce their new viola and second violin.

As a relative novice to the reviewing of music in general and classical in particular, I have to review this from an armchair perspective and not a scholarly one. The CD is fantastic. The music is beautifully played and with obvious understanding of the composer's intentions, for it flows so easily and effortlessly. It is a treasured album in my collection.