Beethoven revolutionized music more than any other composer. Even in the premier class of chamber music – the string quartet – the genius from Bonn overcame any and all norms and conventions and created unsurpassed masterpieces. Beethoven composed a total of sixteen string quartets. They are a common thread within his work, covering the entire span from the early works to his last compositions. Among the late quartets is a work about which the Beethoven admirer Igor Stravinsky wrote in 1962: "The Great Fugue seems to me the most perfect marvel in music today - it is also the most contemporary of all the pieces I know and will forever be contemporary."

The "Quatuor Pascal" are one of the most important examples of the French string quartet tradition. The quartet was founded in the 1930s by Leon Pascal, who also led the Calvet Quartet. Among the great successes of the Pascal Quartet in the Fifties is the complete recording of Beethoven's string quartets, which was awarded the prestigious "Grand prix du disque" in 1953.

The 12 original LPs in this box-set are complemented by bonus recordings, including a tribute to Joseph Haydn ("Der Spa?"), who introduced his pupil Beethoven to this genre and to whom the six string quartets Op. 18 are dedicated.