Ludwig Van Beethoven: ... - Narratio Quartet - Audio CD (Arrives in 50 days)

Beethoven’s string quartets were written in an era when chamber music was shifting from the salons of the nobility into the concert hall, and when chamber music ensembles were slowly but surely metamorphosing from being a pursuit for a mix of outstanding amateurs and professionals into a discipline for professionally trained musicians. In that sense the “Rasumowsky” quartets represent a turning point in the string quartet tradition. Count Rasumowsky, one of Beethoven’s principal patrons in the first decade of the nineteenth century and the Russian ambassador in Vienna, was also an excellent amateur violinist, playing second violin in the string quartet which he financed and which was led by the renowned Ignaz Schuppanzigh. The three quartets, Opus 59, which were dedicated to him, prompted him to give up his place in the quartet. He provided the members of this quartet with a fixed appointment in 1808, which even included a pension for life. Initially, the three Opus 59 quartets met with some resistance from the Viennese audiences. After the two opus numbers 18 and 59, both consisting of a group of quartets, opus 74 is a single work, generally considered as one of the most readily accessible.

Tracklist

Disc 1

1. String Quartet Op. 59, No. 1 In F Major: I. Allegro
2. String Quartet Op. 59, No. 1 In F Major: Ii. Allegretto Vivace E Sempre Scherzando
3. String Quartet Op. 59, No. 1 In F Major: Iii. Adagio Molto E Mesto
4. String Quartet Op. 59, No. 1 In F Major: Iv. Theme Russe. Allegro
5. String Quartet Op. 59, No. 2 In E Minor: I. Allegro
6. String Quartet Op. 59, No. 2 In E Minor: Ii. Molto Adagio. Si Tratta Questo Pezzo Con Molto Di Sent
7. String Quartet Op. 59, No. 2 In E Minor: Iii. Allegretto
8. String Quartet Op. 59, No. 2 In E Minor: V. Finale. Presto

Disc 2

1. String Quartet Op. 59, No. 3 In C Major: ?I. Introduzione. Andante Con Moto - Allegro Vivace
2. String Quartet Op. 59, No. 3 In C Major: Ii. Andante Con Moto Quasi Allegretto
3. String Quartet Op. 59, No. 3 In C Major: Iii. Menuetto Grazioso - Trio
4. String Quartet Op. 59, No. 3 In C Major: Iv. Allegro Molto
5. String Quartet Op. 74 In E-Flat Major: I. Poco Adagio - Allegro
6. String Quartet Op. 74 In E-Flat Major: Ii. Adagio Ma Non Troppo
7. String Quartet Op. 74 In E-Flat Major: ?Iii. Presto Leggieramente - Piu Presto Quasi Prestissimo
8. String Quartet Op. 74 In E-Flat Major: Iv. Allegretto Con Variazioni

Label: Challenge Classics | Origin: Holland