Ariel Quartet - Beethoven: The Complete String Quartets Vol. III (CD)

The Ariel Quartet completes it's acclaimed Beethoven String Quartets cycle with a set devoted to the composer's extraordinary late quartets: Opp. 127, 130, 131, 132 and 135. Widely regarded as among the greatest achievements in chamber music, these works reveal Beethoven at his most imaginative and adventurous. For the Ariel Quartet, this music has been a lifelong companion. Having performed as a quartet since their teenage years and lived with these works for more than two decades, they bring a combination of technical command and shared musical instinct to their performances, with interpretations shaped by years on stage together. From the expansiveness of Op.127 and the intensity of Op.132, to the dramatic sweep of Op.131 and the final questions of Op.135, this three-disc set offers a compelling conclusion to the Ariel Quartet's Beethoven cycle.

Track List:

Disc: 1

1. Beethoven: String Quartet in E-flat major, Op.127 - Maestoso – Allegro
2. Beethoven: String Quartet in E-flat major, Op.127 - Adagio ma non troppo e molto cantabile
3. Beethoven: String Quartet in E-flat major, Op.127 - Scherzo. Vivace
4. Beethoven: String Quartet in E-flat major, Op.127 - Allegro
5. Beethoven: String Quartet in C-sharp minor, Op.131 - Adagio ma non troppo e molto espressivo
6. Beethoven: String Quartet in C-sharp minor, Op.131 - Allegro molto vivace
7. Beethoven: String Quartet in C-sharp minor, Op.131 - Allegro moderato
8. Beethoven: String Quartet in C-sharp minor, Op.131 - Andante ma non troppo e molto cantabile
9. Beethoven: String Quartet in C-sharp minor, Op.131 - Presto
10. Beethoven: String Quartet in C-sharp minor, Op.131 - Adagio quasi un poco andante
11. Beethoven: String Quartet in C-sharp minor, Op.131 - Allegro
12. Beethoven: String Quartet in A minor, Op.132 - Assai sostenuto – Allegro
13. Beethoven: String Quartet in A minor, Op.132 - Allegro ma non tanto
14. Beethoven: String Quartet in A minor, Op.132 - Heiliger Dankgesang eines Genesenen an die Gottheit, in der lidischen Tonart. Molto adagio – Neue Kraft fühlend. Andante
15. Beethoven: String Quartet in A minor, Op.132 - Alla marcia, assai vivace
16. Beethoven: String Quartet in A minor, Op.132 - Allegro appassionato
17. Beethoven: String Quartet in F major, Op.135 - Allegretto
18. Beethoven: String Quartet in F major, Op.135 - Vivace
19. Beethoven: String Quartet in F major, Op.135 - Assai lento, cantate e tranquillo
20. Beethoven: String Quartet in F major, Op.135 - Der schwer gefaßte Entschluß: Grave, ma non troppo tratto – Allegro
21. Beethoven: String Quartet in B-flat major, Op.130 - Adagio ma non troppo – Allegro
22. Beethoven: String Quartet in B-flat major, Op.130 - Presto
23. Beethoven: String Quartet in B-flat major, Op.130 - Poco scherzoso. Andante con moto ma non troppo
24. Beethoven: String Quartet in B-flat major, Op.130 - Alla Danza tedesca. Allegro assai
25. Beethoven: String Quartet in B-flat major, Op.130 - Cavatina. Adagio molto espressivo
26. Beethoven: String Quartet in B-flat major, Op.130 - Overtura. Allegro – Meno mosso e moderato – Allegro. Fuga