Product Description `The Artemis String Quartet makes chamber music spectacular: the quartet's playing is polished and precise but at the same time spontaneous, fresh and explosive as though the music is being improvised on the spot. Even the physical motions involved with the bowing are beautifully choreographed to reflect the mood of the music.' The Enquirer Beethoven remains the ultimate test for a string quartet; with their ongoing complete cycle for Virgin Classics, the Artemis Quartet are rising to the challenge. The Quartet's debut release on the label in 2005 comprised Beethoven's op 59/1 and op 95, followed by the second release in 2008 in the cycle bringing together op 59/2, the `Razumovsky' Quartet, and the Quartet op 18/4 and which also introduced the ensemble's latest members, Gregor Sigl (violin) and Friedemann Weigle (viola). The interpretations were warmly welcomed: in France, the release was named CHOC of the Year by Le Monde de la Musique and was also awarded a Diapason d'Or, while in Germany the recording was chosen as Chamber Music Recording of the Year in the the ECHO Klassik awards of the Deutsche Phono-Akademie. In the UK, the influential Sunday Times singled out the release, praising the "fresh, positive responses" of the Artemis Quartet: " ... their colours are vivid and they are alert to the music's intent to push all sorts of boundaries to breaking point." Now, Virgin Classics presents 4 String Quartets, originally released as 2 separated CD on Ars Musici label and gathered for the first time as a 2 CD set on Virgin Classics. In the UK, BBC Radio 3's CD Review suggested that the recording (op 59/2 & 18/4) should go to the top of any list of recommendations, while the Daily Telegraph observed that the Artemis "keep romantic expressiveness, dramatic urgency and a classical sense of architecture in fine equilibrium." A concert performance of Beethoven's op 18/4 in the USA in 2008 year prompted the following reaction from the New York Times: "The Artemis has always played with vigor, brilliance and sensitivity. More than that, its performances have had clarity of conception and unfussy directness. All these qualities were abundant on this occasion ... Beethoven's Quartet in C minor (Op. 18, No. 4) came across in this incisive and full-bodied performance as the audacious work of a supremely confident young man, especially in a moody menuetto, thick with slinky chromatic lines and wayward harmonies." About the Artist High praise comes from a discriminating voice. In a review written about the string quartet, the daily newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung has stated that there are many good string quartets performing. However, among the very good quartets playing internationally, the "Artemis ensemble is the best." The reason: "Ranging from Beethoven to Ligeti, their performances overflow with fullness of sound, delineated structure and unparalleled drama." The Berlin-based Artemis Quartet was founded at the Lübeck Musikhochschule in 1989. Walter Levin, the Emerson Quartet, the Julliard Quartet and the Alban Berg Quartet have been and remain important teachers and mentors for the quartet. Since 1994 the four players have performed as a professional ensemble, quickly gaining a reputation as one of the leading ensembles of their generation. The ensemble's international stature was established by winning First Prizes at the ARD Competition in 1996 and soon thereafter First Prize at the Premio Borciani. Rather than pitch themselves into the tempting fast track of career success, the members of the Artemis Quartet instead immersed themselves in further study in 1998 the ensemble spent a year in residence with the Alban Berg Quartet in Vienna followed by a three month sabbatical at Berlin's Wissenschaftskolleg. Their debut at the Berlin Philharmonie in June of 1999 marked the formal start of their career. A new phase of the chamber group's life began in July 2007 with Gregor Sigl and Friedemann Weigle becoming members of the string quartet. Since 2004 the quartet's series of concerts at the Berlin Philharmonie has met with high praise from critics and audiences alike. In addition to their busy schedule of concerts at all the most important concert venues in Europe, the US, Japan, South America and Australia, and numerous appearances at international festivals, the Artemis Quartet is also committed to teaching. One example of this vocation is their joint professorship in chamber music at Berlin's Universität der Künste and their guest lectureship at the "Chapelle Reine Elisabeth" in Brussels. From the outset, the Artemis Quartet has highly valued sharing the concert podium with leading concert artists. Most recently they were on a concert tour with Juliane Banse, Truls Mørk and Leif Ove Andsnes. Intensive study of contemporary music is also an important focus within the quartet's repertoire. Composers such as Mauricio Sotelo (2004), Jörg Widmann (2006), and Thomas Larcher (2008) have composed works for the Artemis Quartet. The Artemis Quartet appeared in a motion picture early in its career, playing in an EMI production in 1996 as guests of the Alban Berg Quartet in Bruno Monsaingeon's feature-length documentary named after Schubert's quartet of the same name - Death and the Maiden. Five years later the Artemis Quartet once again performed in another film by the renowned director. Monsaingeon's 2001 documentary on Beethoven's Grosse Fuge op.133 - Strings Attached - is at the same time an impressive portrait of the Artemis Quartet. In recognition of the ensemble's contribution to the interpretation of Beethoven's music, the Verein des Beethoven-Hauses Bonn conferred honorary membership to the Artemis Quartet in 2003. In 2004 the quartet won the 23rd "Premio Internazionale Accademia Musicale Chigiana" in Siena, Italy.In 2005 the Artemis Quartet signed an exclusive recording contract with Virgin Classics/EMI which will ultimately result in at least ten recordings over a period five years. The first recording with the newest members of the ensemble, a CD of works by Schubert including the Quintet for Two Cellos with Truls Mørk, won the 'German Record Critics' Award (Deutscher Schallplattenpreis). A CD with Beethovens Quartets op. 59/2 und op. 18/4 will follow in autumn 2008. Recordings by the Artemis Quartet previously on the Ars Musici label and now on Virgin Classics/EMI have been awarded the 'German Record Critics' Award (Deutscher Schallplattenpreis) and Diapason d'Or de l'année . In October of 2006 the Artemis Quartet's recording of the String Quartets, op. 95 & 59/1, was awarded Germany's definitive Echo Klassik award for "Chamber Music Recording of the Year." At the 2008 prestigious Classic FM Gramophone Awards, the Artemis Quartet were awarded the Chamber Award for their recording of the Piano Quintets by Brahms and Schumann with Leif Ove Andsnes.
D**R
Great Op 131
I bought this after hearing them at a live concert (no Beethoven). I bought it for the op 131, and their performance is magnificent Close to the Vegh as my personal favorite. The other performances are also first-rate.
H**T
*** 1/2 The earlier, pre-shakeup Artemis comes off a bit too glib and smooth, expert as they are
Note: I'm letting my original review stand, but coming back to these performances, I am considerably more impressed by the quality of the playing and the intensity of the interpretations.The product description is helpful in pointing out that this new installment in the Artemis quartet's ongoing Beethoven cycle isn't actually new but predates the change of viola and second violin that took place in 2004. Virgin/EMI clearly saw that the had a winner when the group's last release won several awards in Europe. It will be interesting to see if the Artemis can be promoted to the level of the Emerson or the Alban Berg. they have absorbed aspects of both, combining a sharp, clear technique with a more rounded European sensibility. Of course, there's a bit of identity crisis since the Artemis on records isn't one ensemble but two, separated by the personnel change.This two-fer begins with the third Razumovsky (Op. 59 no. 3), and it immediately display both sides of the Artemis's personality, with a rather cool, detached first movement followed by a war, flowing second movement. On their earlier CD, I thought the second Razumovsky came off as Emerson lite -- modernist but with less coolness and aggression in the attack. That sounds like a criticism, but actually it's a relief to remove the stainless-steel cladding that covers so many contemporary readings. The two inner movements actually display gentleness, and the ear is pleased by perfect intonation and effortless unanimity. One feels that these musicians actually care about the music, and for once the first violin doesn't grab the spotlight all the time. The more equal the four voices, the greater the sense of communal music-making. The Molto allegro finale races along without exaggerated attacks (a fault in the Takacs Qt.version). Overall, this sounds like a mature quartet that can still manage to sound fresh in a very familiar work.an even greater test comes in Op. 132, probably the most loved of the late quartets because of the spiritual apotheosis in the slow movement "holy song of praise." The Artemis edge into the first movement quietly, and all semblance to the Emersons is absent; they give us a very Europeanized sense of traditional Beethoven only slightly updated through precise execution. by relaxing more than usual, the Artemis communicate a kind of joyful song that is very appealing. After a while I did miss the intensity achieved by the ABQ or the single-minded thrust of the Takacs and Emerson. Perhaps it wasn't wise to interpret the whole of Op. 132 as being in the same mode as the blissful Adagio, which is also taken in a relaxed manner. And certainly Beethoven's marking in the finale, Allegro appassionato, is being shortchanged too much.Such lightness of touch would lead one to believe that the next item, Op. 18 no. 2, will come off well. Indeed, it's fleet and mercurial. the Artemis decidedly see tis quartet as a child of Haydn, not a forebear of later Beethoven. The main sign of a turn into romanticism is the lovingly caressed slow movement.In the three fast movement the ensemble is delightfully deft and carefree.CD 2 end with Op. 131, a work that opens itself up to countless interpretations because of its very free seven-movement structure, strong contrasts, and enigmatic tone. My ideal is a strong philosophical reading, balancing the inward and the intensely felt. I was disappointed to find that the Artemis are far from that ideal. They play the opening Adagio smoothly, almost glibly, emphasizing prettiness of tone over almost everything else. The next movement, which should offer a strong contrast into an exciting Allegro molto vivace, is speedy but homogenized with what came before. Why? In the same vein, the strong punctuations that open the Andante are muted for no reason that I can see. The exhilarating Presto is better, but largely because the Artemis avoid the irritating aggressiveness of their rivals. The Adagio is lyrically played but with diminished intensity; the galloping finale is foursquare.In all, we have a success in the Razumovsky and Op. 18 no. 2 but real failures in the two late quartets. Anyone who knows the latter day Artemis will be glad that they changed personnel, because it brought the needed intensity and personality that these readings lack. Compared to their searing Op. 95 'Serioso' from 2005, this double album sounds pallid.
Z**R
Artemis Quartet 2010
This is one of the two new releases by Artemis Quartet, and this two-disc (20 track) collection is as good as one could hope for. This is chamber music at its finest. By performing the challenging works of Beethoven, the four members of this string quartet prove their worth, as well as their extraordinary skill and ability. This is really worth purchasing immediately. As someone who just became a fan recently, I am very glad that I now have these two fantastic CDs.
S**_
Stunning recent version
There are hundreds of acceptable versions of this challenging Beethoven quartet. Some go for nasty New York aggressive precision; some try to reduce the innate violence of the piece by going lyrical. It's either/or, most of the time but this version seems unique to me in as much as it is either AND or, lyrical and attacking. We love it at my house.
G**J
wunderbar
Ich habe die CD gekauft nachdem ich sie im Radio gehört hatte. Ich kann es empfehlen, die CD ist ihr Geld wert..
H**Y
Un disque pour Audiophile Mélomane
L'Intégrale des Quatuors à cordes de Beethoven que les Artemis enregistrent actuellement pour Virgin Classics se révèle être, au fur et à mesure de ses parutions, comme l'une des plus appréciables du catalogue. Ce que l'on sait moins, c'est qu'elles font suite à deux gravures précédemment publiées chez Ars Musici, un label depuis disparu. Aujourd'hui, le label britannique les réédite sous la forme d'un double CD à ne rater sous aucun prétexte. Outre le fait qu'il donne la possibilité d'entendre l'ensemble berlinois dans sa composition d'origine (la moitié de son effectif ayant été renouvelé en 2007), il permet surtout à la musique de Beethoven de s'exprimer à son meilleur niveau. Enregistrés en 1998 et 2002, ces quatre Quatuors sont reproduits avec une dimension réellement exceptionnelle. Confrontées au sublime opus 131, les qualités individuelles des musiciens s'épousent dans un élan collectif, portant ainsi sa structure musicale libre et inégalée au rang de chef-d'œuvre. Quelle que soit la partition, leur conviction sans limites traduit à merveille ses aspects violents ou heureux, de la même manière que leur recueillement sincère nous entraîne dans la profondeur de ses mouvements méditatifs. À titre d'exemple, leur vision du vertigineux Finale du troisième numéro de l'opus 59 est absolument grisante. Sans jamais se désunir, les Artemis développent une structure rythmique inébranlable. Aussi, dans le mouvement lent intermédiaire Molto Adagio de l'opus 132, on entre dans un royaume désincarné d'une beauté stupéfiante. On ne peut que rester admiratif devant un tel déploiement de timbres et une telle maîtrise de l'énergie. À les écouter, on prend pleinement conscience de ce qu'est un son travaillé. Adeptes du culte de l'esthétisme, ils cultivent l'art du détail. Techniquement irréprochables - quoique enregistrés dans deux lieux différents -, ces disques intenses, tendus parfois presque jusqu'à la déchirure, rayonnent par leur musicalité et leur dimension spirituelle.
S**N
La suite du voyage
Le quatuor Artemis nous a (déjà) habitué à la qualité de ses interprétations de Beethoven. Ce double-cd s'inscrit dans la lignée des précédents albums; on y retrouvera les mêmes qualités générales, le même engouement, la même unité de ton.L'op.59/3, plein de contrastes et de ryhtmes, librement expressif, conclut remarquablement le cycle des Razoumovskis.L'op.18/2, à la fois joyeux et mordant, roccoco et impétueux, permet aux partenaires de montrer l'équilibre de leur formation, même si on aurait peut-être aimé un petit grain d'agressivité supplémentaire dans le finale.Les quatorzième et quinzième quatuors sont le plat de résistance de cette édition. L'op.132, mystérieux et émouvant, spontanément cantabile, dégage des sentiments immédiats, à fleur d'archets. L'approche est certes moins dramatique que celle des Berg, mais le molto adagio à lui seul justifie l'acquisition de cet album !Les sept parties enchainées du monumental op.131 offrent l'occasion aux Artémis de faire étalage de leur sens de la construction : cohérents, rigoureux, ils progressent depuis la magnifique fugue initiale jusqu'à l'impressionnant finale en nous proposant tous les sentiments du voyage : douleur, sérénité, délicatesse, fulgurance, tensions, continuité.De belles versions donc, dans un son toujours aussi présent, qui permettent aux Artémis d'inscrire peu à peu leur cycle Beethoven comme un jalon de la discographie moderne.
P**T
A great recording
A superb recording of the Beethoven 130 and 131 quartets. Sound quality is excellent throughout.
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