Classical Music: Beethoven String Quartets Volume 2

Beethoven String Quartets Vol 2
String Quartet in G major, Op. 18 No. 2; String Quartet in A major, Op. 18 No. 5; String Quartet in E minor, Op. 59 No. 2; String Quartet in B flat major, Op. 130; Große Fuge in B flat major, Op. 133

The Doric String Quartet
Alex Redington violin, Ying Xue violin, Hélène Clément viola, John Myerscough cello.
The members of the Doric String Quartet perform the Op. 18 Quartets using a set of classical bows by Luis Emilio Rodriguez Carrington.

Chandos CHAN 20300(2)
Chandos.net

Just when you believe you are familiar with a composer's repertoire, a fresh interpretation emerges, compelling you to re-evaluate. The catalogues prominently showcase Beethoven's String Quartets, and this second volume from the Doric captivated me with their precision in crafting lines that express phrasing exquisitely. The listener immerses themselves in a sonorous soundscape, emphasising Beethoven's mastery in writing for this combination. In selecting the repertoire for this second album, which combines a middle period, a late, and two early quartets, they not only create a program that stands on its own, but also contribute to the overall cycle, thereby offering a fresh perspective on the composer's bequest to the genre.

The musicians begin with a vivid performance of Op. 18 No. 2, following it with the Quartet, Op. 130, in which, as the finale, they perform the Große Fugue (Op. 133), as Beethoven long contemplated it. Stravinsky considered the Große Fuge ‘an absolutely contemporary piece of music that will be contemporary forever’. One can sense the Dorics' enjoyment when they perform this work.They have appended the alternative finale, first published with Op. 130, thus allowing the listener to choose either version.

The players’ virtuosity shines through with excellence in their balance, rhythmically clean lines, and effective pianissimos; the delicacy is sublime. This double CD supremely communicates the lightness of touch and the moments when full-throttle is required. These changes are deployed with aplomb.

Op. 59 No. 2 in E minor follows Op. 18 No. 5 in A major. Beethoven's first set of quartets, Op. 18, often displays influences from the quartets of Haydn and Mozart, albeit heavily filtered through his unique artistic sensibility.

The composer wrote the second set, the three 'Razumovsky' Quartets, Op. 59, during a defining period of his creative life, alongside the Fourth Symphony, Violin Concerto, and Fidelio. This set demonstrates both a development from the earlier set and a powerful distinctiveness.

These are first-rate performances to be enjoyed.