Items12The creator’s order
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Alban Berg Quartett - Beethoven: The Late String QuartetsComposed in total physical deafness, Beethoven's late quartets are the Mount Everest of Western chamber music. The Viennese Alban Berg Quartett captures this profound journey with architectural poise and warm Austrian tone, unravelling the sublime seven-movement arch of the Quartet in C-sharp…0 - 2
Emerson String Quartet - Bartók: The String QuartetsBela Bartok's six string quartets form the 20th century's definitive chamber cycle, fusing rigorous modern counterpoint with ferocious Hungarian and Balkan folk rhythms. The Emerson String Quartet's Grammy-winning 1988 recordings crackle with electric intensity, snapping pizzicatos and hair-raising…0 - 3
Takács Quartet - Beethoven: Complete String QuartetsThe Takács Quartet, founded in Budapest, brought warmth and earthy rhythmic drive to their complete Beethoven cycle. The middle-period Razumovsky quartets, Op. 59, are the place to start: dance rhythms and grand lyrical lines played so richly that four instruments sound almost orchestral. Choose it…0 - 4
Kronos Quartet - Pieces of Africa (1992)San Francisco's Kronos Quartet redefined chamber music on this landmark crossover recording. Commissioning works from seven African composers including Kevin Volans, Dumisani Maraire and Hamza El Din, the quartet incorporated talking drums, thumb pianos and joyful African polyrhythms, creating an…0 - 5
Belcea Quartet - Britten: String Quartets Nos. 1 - 3Benjamin Britten's three quartets are haunting, theatrical works filled with sea-swept Suffolk atmospheres and poignant personal drama. Led by violinist Corina Belcea, the ensemble brings knife-edge dynamic control and chilling, ghost-like string textures to Britten's poignant final Venetian…0 - 6
Pavel Haas Quartet - Dvořák: String Quartets Nos. 12 & 13Winner of the Gramophone Record of the Year, this Czech ensemble's reading of Dvorak's famous American Quartet (Op. 96) is the gold standard. Infused with natural Bohemian speech rhythms, birdsong imitations and expansive pentatonic melodies, the performance radiates spontaneous sunshine and…0 - 7
Danish String Quartet - Last Leaf (2017)The Danish String Quartet created an international sensation with this sublime ECM album of traditional Nordic folk tunes and dance melodies arranged for classical quartet. Playing with velvety acoustic warmth, gentle drone harmonies and tender phrasing, they prove that folk intimacy and chamber…0 - 8
Quatuor Ébène - Debussy, Fauré & Ravel: String QuartetsFrench ensemble Quatuor Ebene infuses the impressionist masterpieces of Ravel and Debussy with jazz-like improvisational freedom and intoxicating instrumental colour. The plucking textures, muted sighs and incandescent melodic surges of the Ravel Assez vif movement shimmer with iridescent light.0 - 9
Tokyo String Quartet - Schubert: Death and the Maiden (1987)Written while Schubert was confronting fatal illness, the Quartet in D minor (D. 810) is a gripping drama of existential struggle and defiant dance rhythms. The Tokyo String Quartet performs with razor-sharp rhythmic precision and immaculate dynamic shading, turning the galloping tarantella finale…0 - 10
Cuarteto Casals - Haydn: String Quartets, Op. 33Joseph Haydn essentially invented the string quartet as a witty conversation between four intelligent equals. Barcelona's Cuarteto Casals performs these six landmark Russian quartets with infectious theatricality, buoyant historical tempos and sparkling conversational humour, highlighting Haydn's…0
