Ludwig van Beethoven Veacutegh Quartet - Ludwig van Beethoven Complete String Quartets Vgh Quartet (60 tracks) +Album Reviews

Who cares about the recording quality?

Harley Cardinal | Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada | 03/09/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Anyone who would deter a potential buyer from purchasing this set on the basis of imperfect recording(slightly bottom-heavy) or extraneous noise is surely missing the point. These are performances of the highest rank, and to overlook them because of such shallow reasoning would be a mistake. Every note of these quartets is considered, and Sandor Vegh leads with a musical intelligence that remains unsurpassed. The opus 18 quartets are played with the vitality needed for young Beethoven, headstrong and bursting with ideas. Opus 59 and 74's colossal rhythms are portrayed with verve, if not the biting tone some other ensembles use. But the late quartets are where they really shine. Often described as other-worldly, these quartets have never sounded more honest, or more achingly human than played by the Vegh here. If one must nitpick, the only fault in the playing is the occasional off note or lack of polish. However, these are minor quibbles. They are my first choice among the Beethoven cycles and the Vegh stand alongside the Busch Quartet as the greatest(in this reviewer's opinion) interpreters of the most profound works in chamber music."

Overrated

Scott E. Peterman | Oneida, NY USA | 01/14/2008

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Along with his violin sonatas, the string quartets of Beethoven are my favorite pieces of music, and I have been listening to them for decades. I own 17 complete sets of recordings of those quartets and base my opinions of those recordings largely on how closely they represent the character of the man who created them. Regarding the Vegh's performances, I have to disagree with Ms. Gerber.

Discounting the fact that the recorded sound of this set is among the worst I have heard, I find Vegh's approach laborious and plodding with less than ideal intonation; Beethoven would not have approved. Reviewers of these performances frequently slip into the error of equating slowness of tempo for "depth" or "insight."

For example, the first movement of the Op.127 is marked "Maestoso - Allegro" (Majestic or grand - cheerful , quick). Vegh's approach lacks majesty and drive, and simply does not "dance." Vegh's timing is 7:12. Interestingly, Vegh's 1952 recording also times out at 7:12. Better performances by the Bartok, Hungarian, Tokyo, & Yale quartets time out at 6:27, 6:26, 6:34, and 6:31 respectively - and they dance.

Michael Steinberg's notes on Op.127 describe how the key of E-flat major was for Beethoven often a key of "grand rhetoric and emphatic gestures" and he states, "the majestic declamation of the first measures of Op.127 is one of his typical E-flat openings in the tradition of the Eroica and the `Emperor' Concerto. The call to attention in a spacious tempo and the neutrality of the material suggest the traditional slow introduction; the passage, however, dissolves into the Allegro much too quickly for that." Vegh's translation simply fails.

I have for some time felt that the Vegh performances of these quartets have been highly overrated by reviewers. Performances by the Bartok, Hungarian, Tokyo, and Yale Quartets are more appealing, truer to the intent of the composer, and better recorded.

"

Probabely the best .

B. Gudgeirsson | Reykjavik Iceland | 01/03/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Anyone intersted in the music of Beethoven should not let this interpretation of the Quartets pass them by. In my opinion , it far surpasses any other. It is almost on a " Furtwaenglerian " level.

The forward recording of the cello, mainly heightens the intensity and utmost musicality of the ensemble. With Vegh , primus inter pares.

Birgir Gudgeirsson."

Connecting with your inner Beethoven

John Grabowski | USA | 12/27/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"My New Year's resolution is to start reviewing items sooner than I currently am.* I've had this set for a good five or six, years, and as I get around to this and I see it's now out of print. But what the heck, here goes: this is the most "introverted" set of Beethoven quartets I know, and I know most of them. The leader of the group, Sandor Vegh, was an accomplished violinist, chamber musician, and conductor, and two other members of the group also made wonderful music with Arthur Grumiaux. Despite the review from Leslie Gerber that the Veghs play with power, I don't think they do. They *do* give is some of the most introverted and finely-shaded Beethoven on record, however. Tempi are slow and sometimes even drag--some of their quickler movements, scherzi in particular, are not ideally-realized. But in movements that require dark shadow--the incredibly-overlooked second movement of Op. 59/3--these guys are hard to beat. The four musicians balance and shade each other perfectly. They are to string quartet-playing what, to my ears, Claudio Arrau is to pianism. If you find Arrau's burnished sound fat and his tempi too ponderous, you may want to look elesewhere for Beethoven quartets. But if you love his rich tone and attention to the sonorities over velocity and virtuosity, you may be pleased with how these musicians handle Beethoven as well. Plus, in this recording, there is clarity the likes of which one rarely hears in Beethoven quartet playing. The lines of the viola come through particularly well, and the musicians bring off some very intricate syncopations with supreme clarity.

Some highlights include a very dreamy and even eerie Op. 130 and a gorgeous Cavatina. The Grosse Fugue is mixed. They hold back a little too much for me at the start, though they soon catch fire; what's extraordinary is the clarity of the counterpoint--the viola's line in particular shines like it rarely does, and one is able to hear subtle relations that usually get covered up in the thicket. The Lindsay's Grosse Fugue should also be heard for a very different take on this music, however.

The middle-period quartets also do very well (and sometimes spectacularly) here. The aforementioned Op. 59/3, which often gets slighted, gets a terrific workout, with a lovely slow buildup of drama. Early quartets are not special, and the Fine Arts and Julliards are smong those who should be explored for alternatives. In the late quartets, as might be expected, the powerhouse movements want a little, but the introspective compositions are thoroughly-explored in all their magnificent shadings and color. The slow movements in Opp. 131 and 132 are particularly impressive.

Despite claims from several others here, I don't hear the horrible sound in this release, nor heavy breathing that is "louder than the performer's isntrument," as one review states it. (Which performer is not specified.) The sound is somewhat "set back," and there's a fair amount of echo, but no more so than several recent DG releases of the Emerson String Quartet. These recordings shouldn't be the only way you experience these works, but they should be heard. You'll want Budapests, Julliards, Lindsays, Yales, Busches and others to round out your Beethoven quartet education, but this set, while inefficiently packaged in a cardboard box that is much thicker than it needs to be, with a booklet containing type that is often too small and too faint to read, is vital. Recommended, with a few reservations.

*Eleven months later: Yeah, so much for that."

The best

sumoran | Seattle | 08/28/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Do not be deterred by the comments about the sound. These quartets actually sound pretty good, if somewhat bottom heavy. Forget the comment about the thin sound and the incredibly heavy breathing. With a good equipment, it is simply not true.

Yes, the intonation is less than perfect, and the violin can be wobbly at times.

Past these objective things, these performances for me are pretty much perfect. I have a feeling that Vegh understand this music better than any other group. For example, I didn't get Op 95 until I heard Vegh, and they made it obvious. I also didn't think much of Op59/3 second movement, which now I think is underrated.

Overall, I think there is a good chance that you will see at least some of the quartets in a different light after you hear Vegh.

"

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