Launching its complete cycle of Beethoven's string quartets, the Cuarteto Casals presents this first installment featuring initial examples of the genre from each of the three key periods in the composer's career: his formative years, the so-called 'heroic' middle period, and that of his artistic maturity. The ingenious juxtaposition reveals how his superhuman struggle for perfection informed a musical language of breathtaking originality in tandem with a depth of expression without precedent in this genre, of which Beethoven is the uncontested master.
CD 1
String Quartet no. 1 op. 18 no. 1
F major / Fa majeur / F-Dur
1 | I. Allegro con brio 8'30
2 | II. Adagio affettuoso ed appassionato 8'13
3 | III. Scherzo. Allegro molto 3'04
4 | IV. Allegro 6'09
String Quartet no. 3 op. 18 no. 3
D major / RE majeur / D-Dur
5 | I. Allegro 7'13
6 | II. Andante con moto 6'21
7 | III. Allegro 2'40
8 | IV. Presto 5'55
String Quartet no. 4 op. 18 no. 4
C minor / ut mineur / c-Moll
9 | I. Allegro ma non tanto 7'44
10 | II. Scherzo. Andante scherzoso quasi allegretto 6'31
11 | III. Menuetto. Allegretto 3'09
12 | IV. Allegro 4'29
CD 2
Piano Sonata no. 9 op. 14 no. 1
Arrangement for string quartet by Beethoven
F major / Fa majeur / F-Dur
1 | I. Allegro moderato 6'04
2 | II. Allegretto 2'56
3 | III. Allegro 3'23
String Quartet no. 7 op. 59 no. 1
F major / Fa majeur / F-Dur
4 | I. Allegro 10'05
5 | II. Allegretto vivace e sempre scherzando 08'23
6 | III. Adagio molto e mesto 11'50
7 | IV. Theme russe. Allegro 7'38
CD 3
String Quartet no. 12 op. 127
E-flat major / Mi bEmol majeur / Es-Dur
1 | I. Maestoso. Allegro 5'55
2 | II. Adagio ma non troppo e molto cantabile 13'59
3 | III. Scherzo vivace. Trio 7'54
4 | IV. Finale. Allegro 6'45
String Quartet no. 16 op. 135
F major / Fa majeur / F-Dur
5 | I. Allegretto 6'27
6 | II. Vivace 3'12
7 | III. Lento assai, cantante e tranquillo 6'28
8 | IV. Grave, ma non troppo tratto. Allegro 9'52 |
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