BEETHOVEN

String Quartets Op. 18/1 and Op. 127 (Beethoven volume 6)

1. String Quartet No.1 in F major Op.18 No.1 - I. Allegro con brio

2. String Quartet No.1 in F major Op.18 No.1 - II. Adagio affettuoso ed appassionato

3. String Quartet No.1 in F major Op.18 No.1 - III. Scherzo (Allegro molto) & Trio

4. String Quartet No.1 in F major Op.18 No.1 - IV. Allegro

5. String Quartet No.12 in E flat major Op.127 - I. Maestoso - Allegro

6. String Quartet No.12 in E flat major Op.127 - II. Adagio ma non troppo, molto cantabile

7. String Quartet No.12 in E flat major Op.127 - III. Scherzando vivace

8. String Quartet No.12 in E flat major Op.127 - IV. Finale

Artemis Quartet

For the Artemis Quartet, Beethoven remains “the most modern, provocative, experimental and boldest composer of all”. The Artemis’ devotion to Beethoven’s towering quartets brings two seasons of concerts around Europe and the US and, in 2011.

The sixth release in the Artemis Quartet’s complete Beethoven cycle comes as the Berlin-based ensemble devotes its international performing schedule to this cornerstone of the repertoire.

“This group finds a balance between projecting musical structure and conveying immediacy,” wrote the New York Times in March 2010. “The players cultivate unity of thought and intention but not conformity of sound and style ... the Beethoven performances the Artemis offered were remarkably cogent and organic. The Quartet in E flat (Op. 127), the first of the five late works, is my favourite of the Beethoven quartets, partly because it is so blithely strange. Artemis captured that quality in an engrossing performance. For example, in the middle of the pensive slow movement the music breaks out into something reminiscent of a sentimental German beer-hall tune complete with an oompah dance riff, qualities impishly conveyed here. The seemingly breezy theme of the finale has astonishing twists embedded in its phrases and harmonies, vividly realized by Artemis”.

Eckart Runge, cellist of the Artemis Quartet, asserts that: “In relation to the time in which he lived, Beethoven is the most modern, provocative, experimental and boldest composer of all. Many have used the string quartet to experiment, to trial and develop their mode of composition … but none of them was more extreme than Beethoven. Even today, the Grosse Fuge remains one of the most incredible and most modern pieces of music ever written … No matter how complicated the form, one can always find essential human emotion in Beethoven, whether it is hopeful longing, apprehension, exuberant joy or shy affection.”

Virgin Classics 6286590