Beethoven: Late Quartets LaSalle Quartet

• Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827): String Quartet No. 12 in E-Flat Major, Op. 127:
• 1 String Quartet No. 12 in E-Flat Major, Op. 127: 1. Maestoso - Allegro 06:16
• 2 String Quartet No. 12 in E-Flat Major, Op. 127: 2. Adagio ma non troppo e molto cantabile 14:42
• 3 String Quartet No. 12 in E-Flat Major, Op. 127: 3. Scherzando vivace 08:24
• 4 String Quartet No. 12 in E-Flat Major, Op. 127: 4. Finale 06:45
• String Quartet No. 13 in B-Flat Major, Op. 130:
• 5 String Quartet No. 13 in B-Flat Major, Op. 130: 1. Adagio ma non troppo - Allegro 09:57
• 6 String Quartet No. 13 in B-Flat Major, Op. 130: 2. Presto 02:05
• 7 String Quartet No. 13 in B-Flat Major, Op. 130: 3. Andante con moto ma non troppo. Poco scherzando 06:48
• 8 String Quartet No. 13 in B-Flat Major, Op. 130: 4. Alla danza tedesca (Allegro assai) 03:27
• 9 String Quartet No. 13 in B-Flat Major, Op. 130: 5. Cavatina ( Adagio molto espressivo) 07:22
• 10 String Quartet No. 13 in B-Flat Major, Op. 130: Grande Fugue, Op.133 (Original finale) 16:04
• 11 String Quartet No. 13 in B-Flat Major, Op. 130: 6. Finale (Allegro) 09:29
• String Quartet No. 14 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 131:
• 12 String Quartet No. 14 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 131: 1. Adagio ma non troppo e molto espressivo 06:54
• 13 String Quartet No. 14 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 131: 2. Allegro molto vivace 02:59
• 14 String Quartet No. 14 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 131: 3. Allegro moderato 00:46
• 15 String Quartet No. 14 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 131: 4. Andante ma non troppo e molto cantabile - Più mosso - Andante moderato e lusinghiero - Adagio - Allegretto - Adagio, ma non troppo e semplice - Allegretto 13:32
• 16 String Quartet No. 14 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 131: 5. Presto 06:04
• 17 String Quartet No. 14 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 131: 6. Adagio quasi un poco andante 01:56
• 18 String Quartet No. 14 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 131: 7. Allegro 06:39
• String Quartet No.15 In A Minor, Op.132:
• 19 String Quartet No.15 In A Minor, Op.132: 1. Assai sostenuto - Allegro 09:08
• 20 String Quartet No.15 In A Minor, Op.132: 2. Allegro ma non tanto 08:45
• 21 String Quartet No.15 In A Minor, Op.132: 3. Canzona di ringraziamento offerta alla divinità da un guarito, in modo lidico (Molto adagio) - Sentendo nuova forza (Andante) 14:57
• 22 String Quartet No.15 In A Minor, Op.132: 4. Alla marcia, assai vivace - Più allegro - Presto 02:05
• 23 String Quartet No.15 In A Minor, Op.132: 5. Allegro appassionato 06:20
• String Quartet No.16 In F Major, Op. 135:
• 24 String Quartet No.16 In F Major, Op. 135: 1. Allegretto 06:35
• 25 String Quartet No.16 In F Major, Op. 135: 2. Vivace 03:30
• 26 String Quartet No.16 In F Major, Op. 135: 3. Lento assai, cantante e tranquillo 07:24
• 27 String Quartet No.16 In F Major, Op. 135: 4. Der schwer gefaßte Entschluß (Grave - Allegro - Grave ma non troppo tratto - Allegro) 07:00
• Total Runtime 03:15:53

Info for Beethoven: Late Quartets

Ludwig van Beethoven war weit mehr als der größte Symphoniker der Geschichte und Gigant am Übergang von der klassischen zur romantischen Epoche, an der Wegscheidung vom Feudalismus zur Aufklärung. Kein anderer Name steht bis heut so symbolisch für die Idee der musikalischen Revolution wie jener Beethovens. Für die Kenner sind es dabei noch weit mehr als Symphonien oder Klaviersonaten die Streichquartette, mit denen er den Gang der Musikgeschichte massiv beeinflusste und bis heute mit aller Macht weiterwirkt. Unter diesen sind es insbesondere die fünf späten Streichquartette, entstanden nach der 9. Symphonie und der Missa solemnis, in welchen er eine Freiheit, Fusion der tradierten und erneuernden Mittel und Entfaltung der poetischen Fantasie erreichte, die unübertroffen bleiben. Zur grandiosen, bei Brilliant erhältlichen Gesamteinspielung seiner Quartette durch das Guarneri Quartet bilden die Aufnahmen des LaSalle Quartet einen bemerkenswerten Kontrast, indem sie die sperrigen, querständigen, rauhen, klanglich kompromisslosen Aspekte, an welche später Mahler, die Zweite Wiener Schule und die seriellen Komponisten der 2. Hälfte des 20. Jahrhunderts anknüpfen sollten, herausstreicht. Eine obsessive Musik jenseits aller Gefälligkeiten, die in der monolithischen Architektur der Großen Fuge gipfelt.

LaSalle Quartet

Digitally remastered

The LaSalle Quartet
was a string quartet active from 1946 to 1987. It was founded by first violinist Walter Levin. The LaSalle's name is attributed to an apartment on LaSalle Street in Manhattan, where some of its members lived during the quartet's inception. The quartet played on a donated set of Amati instruments.

The LaSalle Quartet was best known for its espousal of the Second Viennese School of Schoenberg, Berg and Webern, and of the European modernists who derived from that tradition, though they also performed standard classical and romantic literature. The Quartet gave the premiere of Witold Lutosławski's String Quartet in Stockholm in 1965. György Ligeti dedicated his Second String Quartet to the group, and they premiered it in Baden-Baden on December 14, 1969. The quartet has been credited with the "Zemlinsky Renaissance," as Zemlinsky remained largely unknown until they performed his works. The quartet won the Deutscher Schallplattenpreis for their recording of his four string quartets.

The LaSalle Quartet was the quartet-in-residence at the University of Cincinnati – College-Conservatory of Music, and cellist Lee Fiser taught there until his retirement in 2017.

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