Beethoven Around the World: The Complete String Quartets

I purchased this recently after attending one of their concerts in New York, which was fantastic.I can only echo the sentiments of others: this cycle is at least as good as any other. I have several, including the Vegh, Emerson, Guarneri and Alban Berg and enjoy them all. What sets this apart from the others is the balance of the interpretations; it is an excellent blend of a more modern with a classical approach. I also find it consistently the most intense of all the sets, particularly appropriate to the middle and late works.The live recordings are also great. They are well balanced, crisp and spontaneous. Unlike many live recordings, the audiences are blissfully quiet.This could be your only recordings of these quartets, similar to first von Karajan Beethoven cycle of the symphonies for DG. And if you enjoy comparing interpretations of perhaps the greatest composer as do many readers here, I believe that this cycle is essential listening to go along with several others. In either case, a great use of your time and money.

I have quite a little collection of the Beethoven's complete string quartets and I was pleasantly surprised to discover this quartet and this recording. My collection includes the complete cycles by Takács, Suske, ABQ, Emerson, Quartetto Italiano, and Quartetto di Cremona and they are all great in their own ways and I can say the same for this.Generally, there's the "traditional" type of playing and sound and the "modern" and this quartet performance sits somewhere in the middle. The production is excellent - very clear but not bright with wide yet still intimate soundstage as if you are sitting right in front of the quartet on the stage.The performances are youthfully spirited yet highly disciplined. This quartet's overall sound is rich and warm compared to the modern and incisive sounds of, say, Takács and/or Quartetto di Cremona but clearer and more transparent sounding than ABQ and Emerson. They are all great and I love hearing the different interpretations and the sounds each quartet produces. This being said, I'm really warming up to this set and I highly recommend it to someone looking to get just one complete cycle of this Beethoven masterwork.

The Quatuor Ébène has delivered one of the great cycles of the string quartets. Whether it's the Op 18 quartets often imparted with an almost late Beethoven depth that nonetheless doesn't sound inappropriate, or the Op 59 quartets that sound as profound as anything, or the late quartets themselves, which could even include Op 95 it is so well done, everything sounds magnificent. Op 132 is the peak of the cycle, and the Molto Adagio-Andante is the peak of that, reaching levels of profundity in the chorales unsurpassed on disc. Op 130 receives one of the most effective readings on disc, as does Op 131. Playin, both individually and as an ensemble, matches anyone's - the Busch, the Budapest, the Vegh, the Prazak. Superb sound for live recordings, too.

I would like to offer my humble praise for these recordings. They are simply outstanding. Want a superb Christmas present for a classical music lover? It is as if you are in row 1, not listening to Beethoven but experiencing Beethoven. Bravo and what's next?

Beautiful packaging too with a nicely written and photo laden booklet detailing the quartets journey performing these monumental masterpieces. I love the Quatuor Ebene and their recordings. They have technique to spare and have something to say about every piece of music they have recorded. They have a beautiful legato style but don’t smooth things over. You can really hear four distinct instruments. More individual than many modern string quartets Their interpretations are wonderful and you will hear new things in them. Highly recommend and the sound quality is very clear but with nice body and warmth where needed.

Quartet Ebene has recorded a truly miraculous Beethoven quartet cycle in a series of live concerts in various cities around the world. This set has it all - lightness humor (G major op. 18), hair raising drama and excitement (last movement of the E minor) , and - in the slow movements - some of the most beautiful quartet playing I've ever heard. And if you haven't heard their recording of 3 French quartets (Debussy, Faure, and Ravel) -- just as great!

The Quatuor Ebene is a young quartet full of energy and passion. The quality of recording sound is superb. This is an excellent addition to any Beethoven collection.

Excellent performances and recording, but a large and small quibble. The quartets were recorded on a 7 city world tour. The program notes are so small (small quibble), I gave up trying to read them - though what I read seemed pretty interesting. The recordings apparently were made in halls without audiences - either that, or they were 7 of the best behaved audiences I’ve never heard. The big quibble is that the quartets are not in order on the CD’s, which is understandable given that they reflected individual concerts, but my preference is to listen to the series from start to end and experience Beethoven’s evolution. This is not a set to be listened to for that. In the long run, perhaps the non-sequential pairing of quartets might turn out to be better for me. After I’ve lived with this set for awhile, I just might come back and give it a 5th star ...

I have seen tis quartet several times but not in its current formulation with one member change. An energetic recording captured in several places around the world a sensational homage to the composer. I have all of their other recordings which art first rate.

forse la più bella integrale dei Quartetti di Beethoven registrata in tempi recenti, suono spettacolare e dettagliatissimo, molto naturale e ricco, sembra di essere in mezzo al quartetto che suona... e interpretazione magistrale, molto coinvolgente e soprattutto sempre convinta, senza mai sbavature o momenti "deboli", al contrario sempre estremamente dentro alle composizioni, anche con una buona dose di "intellettualismo" che ripulisce il tutto da eccessive dosi di romanticismo che altri preferiscono usare.. davvero una gran bella version che non dovrebbe mancare in nessuna collezione aggiornata!

El famoso cuarteto Ébène grabó en 2020 todos los cuartetos de Beethoven en una gira alrededor del mundo, con ocasión del 250º aniversario del genial músico alemán. Con ellos, la música de Beethoven es brillante, humana, viva, contrastada. La interpretación de los Ébène es absolutamente maravillosa y la calidad técnica de la grabación (todo en concierto), perfecta. Cada disco tiene el nombre de la ciudad donde se dieron los conciertos. Filadelfia, Viena, Tokio, Sao Paulo, Melbourne, Nairobi y París.NB. En el título escrito aquí por Amazone hay un error en el nombre de los artistas: han juntado dos nombres. En realidad, la artista alto se llama "Marie Chilemme" y el violoncelo, "Raphaël Merlin". ¡Gracias por corregir!

Once in a while a recording comes along that “unlocks” a work that one has been struggling to love. (Levine/VPO was my key into Brahms 3rd; Radu Lupu unlocked Schubert’s Impromptus and sonatas for me...and the list goes on and on) You know the music is a masterpiece and its genius is plain, but you just can’t love it. The late quartets of Beethoven have been precisely that for me for decades. I own complete sets by the Emerson’s, Alexander, Auryn, Endellion, and Alban Berg....all superb and great exponents of Beethoven’s genius. But the last 5 quartets always felt like a dedicated listening experience, almost like sitting an exam, rather than a real pleasure. With exception of obvious slow movement beauties... Heilger Dank, the Cavatina...I just couldn’t get “inside”.Enter the Quatuor Ebene and this globe-trotting complete set recorded live from recitals in 7 different cities and 6 different continents. The magic key to these hitherto mysteries was suddenly in my hand...a hallelujah moment!...and my socks were knocked off. I’m not going to/cannot attempt to explain why/how etc. Just listen to these recordings and perhaps you too will feel the scales fall from your eyes.

C'est suite à la lecture d'une critique très élogieuse de la revue Classica que je me suis procuré cette nouvelle intégrale dont l'urgence ne me serait pas venue, possédant déjà la première version des Budapest, les deux des Julliard, celle des Emerson et, récemment, des Belcea - en plus des derniers quatuors par les Busch.Et bien, il est peu de dire que je ne regrette pas cette acquisition ! Le quatuor Ebene a joué cette intégrale en sept concerts répartis sur ... les cinq continents et ce sont les prises de ces concerts qui nous sont offertes. Un premier mot pour saluer la qualité superlative des prises de son et leur régularité malgré les disparités des acoustiques de salles. Décidément, après les Belcea, le live réussit bien à ces quatuors !Comme les Belcea, les Ebéne panachent les oeuvres de l'opus 18 avec les derniers quatuors et les médians, on est bien "au concert" et pas dans la suite chronologique des oeuvres comme pour la plupart des intégrales.Si les Busch restent pour moi insurpassables dans les derniers quatuors, les Ebène sur l'ensemble du corpus se hissent tout en haut de la discographie par leur approche totalement ... beethovénienne, dans laquelle c'est la pulsion rythmique qui commande tout. D'où des moments purement chavirants où les audieurs ici et là ont du taper des pieds ... pas si fréquent pour ce genre aride qu'est la quatuor. Mais pas ici, non, rien d'aride, juste une musique qui avance avec un élan souvent dyonisiaque. A ce propos, la grande fugue du 13 ème quatuor ( le finale alternatif n'a pas été gravé ) est la plus enthousiasmante que j'ai entendue jusqu'à ce jour. Dans les mouvements lents, c'est le naturel qui s'impose, la beauté des mélodies. Certains ( Julliard, Belcea ) ont sans doute creusé plus en profondeur ces grandes explorations, mais je retrouve ici avec le quatuor Ebene la simplicité des Busch, leur inextinguible plaisir de chanter.Courez-y, c'est une merveille !