Lovers of the Beethoven
string quartets are particularly well
served with the number and exceptionally
high quality of alternative versions
in the catalogues. For the Op. 59 Rasumovsky
Quartets there are versions from an
astonishing thirty different ensembles
currently available. They give the listener
a bewildering choice. All the top ensembles
are represented and the choice is very
much down to personal taste.
In 1805 Count Andreas
Rasumovsky the Russian Ambassador to
Austria commissioned Beethoven to write
three string quartets. Beethoven rapidly
completed his commission during the
summer of 1806. Not since the Opus 18
set some six years earlier had Beethoven
composed for the medium of the string
quartet. Beethoven biographer John N.
Burk wrote in 1943 that the Rasumovsky
quartets were, "vigorously independent,
calling forth the full tonal capacity
of four stringed instruments when his
thoughts tend to symphonic proportions.
His manipulatory power, enormously increased,
welds and tightens, liberates, builds.
The fancy takes any sort of flights
it wills and is richly various… The
three quartets Op.59 are in their way
the subtlest, the most viable and deeply
personal expression of what is called
Beethoven’s second period."
Count Rasumovsky was
an amateur cellist and in the first
Op. 59 Rasumovsky String Quartet,
in F major Beethoven wrote an extended
role for the instrument. Consequently
the work is sometimes known as the ’Cello
quartet’. The four movements are in
sonata form the finale of which
makes use of a theme Russe which
is Beethoven paying homage to Count
Rasumovsky’s homeland which apparently
was one of the conditions of the commission.
The finale is preceded by one
of those tragic and sublime slow movements
that are frequently encountered in later
Beethoven where the two main melodies
combine to give expression to a pathos
beyond solace.
The third Op. 59 Rasumovsky
string quartet is generally considered
to be the most dramatic of the trilogy
and has been given the title ’Heroic
quartet’ owing to the virility and relentlessly
aggressive nature of the work. Power
dominates the outer two movements and
the finale actually contains
a tumultuous fugue which has been described
as the culmination and crowning glory
of the entire Op. 59 set. Musicologist
Homer Ulrich wrote of the fugue that,
"its confidence, its unquestioned
joy, its dramatic climaxes, and its
sheer joie de vivre make it one
of the most exciting pieces in the literature."
The two central movements have a lighter
texture and a brighter spirit. The second
movement Andante is gentle and
reflective and the quartet uses a delicate
minuet-like Allegretto in
place of a more usual Scherzo.
There is much high
class competition in these Opus 59 string
quartets and I have four noteworthy
versions in my collection which have
provided much pleasure over the years
and are certainly worth considering.
The Lindsay Quartet on ASV digital CDDCS
207 offer marvellous performances. Their
insights are considered by many as unlikely
to be surpassed in the modern recorded
versions. The version by the Tokyo Quartet
on RCA digital RD 60462 is also widely
acknowledged as being one of the premier
interpretations in the catalogue with
splendidly judged tempi with beautifully
proportioned performances. For Decca
digital 470 847-2 the Takacs String
Quartet provide an exuberant performance
with playing of the highest order. This
version’s strong sense of direction
with masterly control of shape and emotion
has impressed many renowned judges.
My long time particular
favourite of the Opus 59 Rasumovsky
Quartets is the version by the famous
Italian Quartet on Philips 420 797-2.
Admittedly the sound quality is slightly
thin by the standards of the main competitors
but the performances are distinguished
with impeccable phasing, pure intonation
and with tempos that are finely judged
with plenty of bite. The performance
of Cellist Franco Rossi is particularly
remarkable displaying a wonderful singing
tone throughout.
Although not my first
choice the Borodin Quartet on this Chandos
release provide very fine performances
of the first and third Rasumovsky Op.
59 String Quartets with considerable
and intelligent insights. I particularly
like their superbly polished playing
which I find musical and satisfying
throughout. The Borodin interpretations
are marked by an unusually high degree
of refinement in their musicianship
across both works. Starting as they
mean to go on the Borodin Quartet offer
considerable vitality, pace and bite
consistently and noticeably right from
the commencement of the first few bars
of the recording. The empathy between
the players is exceptional and perhaps
nowhere more impressive than in the
second movement allegretto of
the F major and the final movement
allegro of the C major. I must
also single out for special praise the
Borodin’s wonderful playing in the final
movement allegro of the F major
quartet; absolutely superb.
The Borodin quartet
cannot compete in the slow movements
with the searing emotion and the shear
spiritual radiance of the serene episodes
of the Italian Quartet’s interpretations
on Philips. The Italians are my joint
first choice and seem to have that special
ability to make the hairs raise on the
neck in Beethoven’s turbulent emotions.
For me there is also a subtle unity
in the performance of these quartets
from the Lindsays on ASV and an insight
which is unique and very special.
On a lighter note I’m
rather surprised at Chandos for using
the rather fearsome and most unflattering
portrait of Beethoven by Ferdinand Schimon
on the front cover. The photograph of
the Borodins that is used on the rear
booklet cover would have been far more
appropriate for promotion purposes and
would have been far less likely to frighten-off
the casual purchaser. Poor marketing
from Chandos here.
The sound quality from
the Chandos engineers is very fine with
clarity and real presence. High quality
performances that are certainly worth
consideration but the competition is
exceptionally fierce in these works.
Michael Cookson
Borodin Quartet (Ruben Aharonian (violin);
Andrei Abramenkov (violin); Igor Naidin (viola);
Valentin Berlinsky (cello)) 