Search - Ludwig van Beethoven, violin Zoltán Székely, violin Alexandre Moskowsky :: Beethoven: The Complete String Quartets + Grosse Fuge [Les Quatuors a Cordes]

A worthy companion to the later Vegh recordings

Howard G Brown | Port St. Lucie, FL USA | 11/08/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Five stars-- yes. This set and the Vegh (on individual Valois discs) are the only integral sets I have in my CD collection. I even traded out all but a few individual recordings, because I kept returning to these performances. Both would get 5 stars from me.I find the Hungarian account equal to the Vegh in all respects, while offering valuable contrasts in matters of text and recorded sound. For example, here opus 130 is offered with the second finale, and the Grosse Fuge is given as a piece in its own right -- as was the accepted case until the last 25 years or so. The Vegh place the Fuge in its original position as the finale of op. 130, with the alternate finale as an "encore."The recorded sound in the Hungarian set is excellent mono, without the balance favoring the 'cello -- a distinctive feature of the Vegh recordings that contributes to their oft-noted warm, rich tone. The Hungarian sound is beautifully focused, however, and never harsh or dry. There is ample resonance and weight to the forte passages, yet they never sound less than clear to me.Just last night I listened to Quartet No. 16 with great pleasure.
I did not feel the need to replace the recording with another version or to further sooth my nerves with a drink - stiff or otherwise. I must say the price here seems to be about twice what I paid for a new set, and would prompt me to recommend the Vegh or Italian Quartet recordings instead -- or the Talich,
if you can find it. Let's say 4 stars at the price for this set; 5 stars for the price I paid."

Simply jaw dropping

Micaloneus | the Cosmos | 12/17/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Hungarian Quartet may not be to everyone's taste and their Beethoven is going to strike some listeners as too vigorous and short-tempered but it kept my attention, much like Schnabel did with the piano sonatas. The Hungarian Quartet's style of playing is abrupt, by modern standards and often sounds rather impulsive, but they brought to my attention much detail that I never really noticed before. These are good sounding 1953 [mono] studio recordings of the whole Beethoven cycle and they are priceless, especially as it's out of print once again. I myself, would not want to be without many of these remarkable performances that are simply jaw dropping.



Note: Third Ear "essential listening companion" book called these recordings glorious, and some of the most perceptive readings in the catalog. They also thought the mono sound was quite good.



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Unique and extraordinary

Peter Filardo | NYC | 11/07/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Hungarian Quartet's playing of these works is unique. Their phrasing wonderfully brings out the musical structure like no other recording, while not disrupting the long line. In so doing, they give a depth I do not find in any other recording."