Beethoven New
String Quartets -- No. 7 in F, Op. 59 No. 1, 'Rasumovsky'; No. 8 in E minor, Op. 59 No. 2, 'Rasumovsky'; No. 9 in C, Op. 59 No. 3, 'Rasumovsky'; No. 10 in E flat, Op. 74, 'Harp'.
Takács String Quartet (Edward Dusinberre, Károly Schranz, violins; Roger Tapping, viola; András Fejer, cello).
Decca 470 847-2 (full price, two discs, 2 hours 23 minutes). Producer Andrew Keener. Engineer Simon Eadon. Date November 19th-22nd, July 2001.
Comparisons:
Quartets Nos. 7-10:
Quartetto Italiano (Philips) 420 797-2 (three
discs)
Tokyo Qt (RCA) RD60462 (three discs)
Quartets Nos. 7-9:
The Lindsays (ASV) CDDCS207 (two discs)
The Takács Quartet begin in the middle of what is to be a complete set of the Beethoven string quartets. The Takács had enjoyed nearly 20 years of increasing international success before, in the mid-1990s, Gábor Takács, their founder and leader, died, to be replaced by Edward Dusinberre; and two years later Roger Tapping became the viola player. Since then, the reconstituted ensemble has won new laurels, notably with their 1998 set of the Bartók quartets (also on Decca). And on the evidence of these two discs, this is going to be a very desirable Beethoven cycle.
The playing is of the highest standard: exuberant, yet also alive to the softest, tenderest gradations; tempos are well chosen and finely sustained; there is a strong sense of direction; all four musicians are equally adept at taking the lead and slipping into an accompanimental role. And so expert is their unanimity that I was surprised by a tiny flaw in ensemble 2'58" into the Molto adagio of the Eighth Quartet, otherwise played with such masterly control of shape and emotion. There are innumerable highlights, but these deeply considered readings are marked above all by integrity of purpose and achievement. The very different challenges of the four quartets are met boldly, the quirky nature of the "Harp" as confidently brought off as is the immense stature of the first "Rasumovsky" and the elusive nature of the second in E minor.
The catalogue lists a bewilderingly large choice. Anyone wishing to acquire these four works, without commitment to Decca's new venture, would be well served by the Tokyo Quartet or, at mid-price, Quartetto Italiano (both of these are three-disc issues and include Op. 95). The Lindsays' two-disc set of the three "Rasumovskys" has all the vibrant life and depth one would expect.
The recorded quality is high, with clarity of placement and full dynamic
range naturally conveyed (though cello pizzicatos in the slow movement of the Ninth are
perhaps over-prominent). I did feel initially that the broad, empty acoustic
might be a problem, but the marked resonance doesn't take the edge off the
composer's characteristic sudden silences. Future issues in this series will be
keenly awaited -- this promises to be among the very finest complete Beethoven
quartet cycles.
used by permission
