Beethoven: Complete String Quartets

Miró Quartet

+Alternativer Finalsatz zum Streichquartett Nr. 13; Große Fuge op. 133

The Miro Quartet, generally considered as one of the most established US classical ensembles, makes its PENTATONE debut with a complete recording of the Beethoven string quartets. Beethoven’s quartets truly stand at the centre of the repertoire, and present the summit for any quartet. Listening to Beethoven’s entire string quartet oeuvre – from the early op. 18 volume and Rasumovsky quartets to the otherworldly and modern-sounding pieces written during his final years – is a life-changing experience, and so is performing them integrally. This collection offers the results of 15 years of playing and recording Beethoven, and not only anticipates the 2020 commemoration of the composer’s 250thbirthday, but also the 25th anniversary of the Miro Quartet itself.

February 2020

Several of the finales are taken very fast, but with such precision of bowing and intonation that they never lapse into a scramble…They offer a finely characterised account of the great C sharp minor, Op. 131 and achieve a wonderful sotto voce quality in the heart-felt Cavatina of Op. 130…Overall, this set is as well-played and insightful as any.