Beethoven: String Quartets Nos. 10 & 13 / Chiaroscuro Quartet
BIS

Beethoven: String Quartets Nos. 10 & 13 / Chiaroscuro Quartet

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Details

Composer
Ludwig van Beethoven
Artist
Chiaroscuro Quartet
Format
SACD
Discs
1
Label
BIS
Released
Oct 20, 2023
Catalog #
BIS-2668
UPC
7318599926681

About

After the six Op. 18 quartets, the much-acclaimed Chiaroscuro Quartet now turns to two masterpieces from Beethoven’s middle and late periods. String Quartet No. 10 in E flat major, Op. 74, nicknamed ‘Harp’ because of the abundant pizzicati in its first movement, comes across as a genial and unproblematic work that was very well received immediately upon publication and has remained one of the composer’s best-loved quartets. String Quartet No. 13 in B flat major, Op. 130, is in a very different vein. Belonging to the series of so-called ‘late’ quartets composed between 1824 and 1826, it is a six-movement structure modelled on an eighteenth-century divertimento, adding two movements to the traditional four-movement scheme: an Alla danza tedesca and a Cavatina. Despite its evocation of an archaic dance, the Alla danza tedesca is typically Beethovenian, with its original treatment of dynamics. The Cavatina, which moved the composer to tears during its composition, is a lyrical and moving piece. Beethoven had intended to conclude this imposing work with a large-scale fugue, but its boldness baffled his first listeners and, at the request of his publisher, he resorted instead to a more approachable movement presenting a mixture of laconic dryness and, in places, tender lyricism.

REVIEW:

Though there’s no shortage of recordings of the Beethoven quartets, versions by groups taking an historically informed approach to these works, such as these from the Chiaroscuro Quartet, are still relatively rare. The ensemble's sound world is warmer, more expressively flexible and transparent than we have become so used to in this familiar music. The wonderfully paced opening of the E flat Quartet Op 74, grows steadily in insistence, until it blossoms into melody in a totally unforced way, setting the tone for everything that follows; there seem to be no preconceptions in these performances, everything comes from the music itself.

The challenges of the B flat Quartet Op 130 are on a different level, and not every decision the Chiaroscuro make in that work is convincing – the great slow movement, the Cavatina, is taken just a fraction too fast, for instance, but the finale that follows (the replacement that Beethoven composed in 1826, not the original Grosse Fuge) has a wonderfully clipped character that, like a lot in these performances, seems perfectly appropriate.

-- The Guardian (Andrew Clements)

Tracklist 10 tracks

  1. 1 I. Poco adagio - Allegro 09:28
    Track
    1
    Title
    I. Poco adagio - Allegro
    Duration
    09:28
    Composer
    Ludwig van Beethoven
    Ensemble
    Chiaroscuro Quartet
  2. 2 II. Adagio ma non troppo 08:59
    Track
    2
    Title
    II. Adagio ma non troppo
    Duration
    08:59
    Composer
    Ludwig van Beethoven
    Ensemble
    Chiaroscuro Quartet
  3. 3 III. Presto 04:56
    Track
    3
    Title
    III. Presto
    Duration
    04:56
    Composer
    Ludwig van Beethoven
    Ensemble
    Chiaroscuro Quartet
  4. 4 IV. Allegretto con variazioni 05:51
    Track
    4
    Title
    IV. Allegretto con variazioni
    Duration
    05:51
    Composer
    Ludwig van Beethoven
    Ensemble
    Chiaroscuro Quartet
  5. 5 I. Adagio ma non troppo - Allegro 13:23
    Track
    5
    Title
    I. Adagio ma non troppo - Allegro
    Duration
    13:23
    Composer
    Ludwig van Beethoven
    Ensemble
    Chiaroscuro Quartet
  6. 6 II. Presto 02:08
    Track
    6
    Title
    II. Presto
    Duration
    02:08
    Composer
    Ludwig van Beethoven
    Ensemble
    Chiaroscuro Quartet
  7. 7 III. Andante con moto ma non troppo 06:47
    Track
    7
    Title
    III. Andante con moto ma non troppo
    Duration
    06:47
    Composer
    Ludwig van Beethoven
    Ensemble
    Chiaroscuro Quartet
  8. 8 IV. Alla danza tedesca: Allegro assai 03:09
    Track
    8
    Title
    IV. Alla danza tedesca: Allegro assai
    Duration
    03:09
    Composer
    Ludwig van Beethoven
    Ensemble
    Chiaroscuro Quartet
  9. 9 V. Cavatina: Adagio molto espressivo 05:54
    Track
    9
    Title
    V. Cavatina: Adagio molto espressivo
    Duration
    05:54
    Composer
    Ludwig van Beethoven
    Ensemble
    Chiaroscuro Quartet
  10. 10 VI. Finale: Allegro 09:22
    Track
    10
    Title
    VI. Finale: Allegro
    Duration
    09:22
    Composer
    Ludwig van Beethoven
    Ensemble
    Chiaroscuro Quartet