The RIAS Amadeus Quartet Beethoven Recordings (Remastered) Amadeus Quartet

• Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827): String Quartet, Op. 18, No. 1 in F Major:
• 1 I. Allegro con brio 07:18
• 2 II. Adagio affetuoso ed appassionato 09:32
• 3 III. Scherzo. Allegro molto 03:11
• 4 IV. Allegro 06:12
• String Quartet, Op. 18, No. 2 in G Major:
• 5 I. Allegro 06:13
• 6 II. Adagio cantabile - Allegro - Tempo I 06:08
• 7 III. Scherzo. Allegro 04:19
• 8 IV. Allegro molto, Quasi presto 05:46
• String Quartet, Op. 18, No. 3 in D Major:
• 9 I. Allegro 05:42
• 10 II. Andante con moto 07:56
• 11 III. Allegro 02:59
• 12 IV. Presto 04:47
• String Quartet, Op. 18, No. 4 in C Minor:
• 13 I. Allegro ma non tanto 06:45
• 14 II. Andante scherzoso, Quasi allegretto 05:34
• 15 III. Menuetto. Allegretto 03:03
• 16 IV. Allegro - Prestissimo 04:28
• String Quartet, Op. 18, No. 5 in A Major:
• 17 I. Allegro 04:58
• 18 II. Menuetto 04:47
• 19 III. Andante cantabile con variazioni 09:55
• 20 IV. Allegro 05:07
• String Quartet, Op. 18, No. 6 in B-Flat Major:
• 21 I. Allegro con brio 04:24
• 22 II. Adagio ma non troppo 07:26
• 23 III. Scherzo. Allegro 03:16
• 24 IV. La Malinconia. Adagio - Allegretto quasi allegro 08:14
• String Quartet, Op. 59, No. 1 in F Major:
• 25 I. Allegro 10:17
• 26 II. Allegretto vivace e sempre scherzando 08:31
• 27 III. Adagio molto e mesto 11:56
• 28 IV. Thème russe. Allegro 06:45
• String Quartet, Op. 59, No. 2 in E Minor:
• 29 I. Allegro 08:39
• 30 II. Molto adagio. Si tratta questo pezzo con molto di sentimento 12:05
• 31 III. Allegretto - Maggiore 07:25
• 32 IV. Finale. Presto 05:34
• String Quartet, Op. 59, No. 3 in C Major:
• 33 I. Introduzione. Andante con moto - Allegro vivace 08:09
• 34 II. Andante con moto quasi allegretto 10:26
• 35 III. Menuetto. Grazioso 04:46
• 36 IV. Allegro molto 06:30
• String Quartet, Op. 95 in F Minor:
• 37 I. Allegro con brio 04:58
• 38 II. Allegretto ma non troppo 07:16
• 39 III. Allegro assai vivace ma serioso - più allegro 04:41
• 40 IV. Larghetto espressivo - Allegretto agitato - Allegro 05:11
• String Quartet, Op. 127 in E-Flat Major:
• 41 I. Maestoso - Allegro 06:43
• 42 II. Adagio ma non troppo e molto cantabile - Andante con moto 14:30
• 43 III. Scherzo. Vivace 06:31
• 44 IV. Allegro 06:18
• String Quartet, Op. 131 in C-Sharp Minor:
• 45 I. Adagio ma non troppo e molto espressivo 06:54
• 46 II. Allegro molto vivace 03:03
• 47 III. Allegro moderato 00:54
• 48 IV. Andante ma non troppo e molto cantabile 14:28
• 49 V. Presto 05:12
• 50 VI. Adagio quasi un poco andante 01:51
• 51 VII. Allegro 06:30
• String Quartet, Op. 130 in B-Flat Major:
• 52 I. Adagio ma non troppo - Allegro - Tempo primo 08:54
• 53 II. Presto 01:57
• 54 III. Andante con moto ma non troppo 06:23
• 55 IV. Alla danza tedesca. Allegro assai 02:54
• 56 V. Cavatina. Adagio molto espressivo 07:17
• 57 VI. Finale. Allegro 07:45
• String Quartet, Op. 135 in F Major:
• 58 I. Allegretto 06:43
• 59 II. Vivace 03:35
• 60 III. Lento assai, cantante e tranquillo 08:19
• 61 IV. Der schwer gefasste Entschluss. Grave, ma non troppo tratto (Muss es sein?) - Allegro (Es muss sein!) 07:19
• Great Fugue, Op. 133:
• 62 I. Overtura. Allegro 16:49
• String Quartet, Op. 132 in A Minor:
• 63 I. Assai sostenuto - Allegro 10:09
• 64 II. Allegro ma non tanto 07:42
• 65 III. Heiliger Dankgesang eines Genesenen an die Gottheit, in der lydischen Tonart. Molto adagio - Neue Kraft fühlend. Andante - Molto adagio. Mit innigster Empfindung 16:23
• 66 IV. Alla marcia, Assai vivace - più allegro 02:11
• 67 V. Allegro appassionato - Presto 06:43
• String Quintet, Op. 29 in C Major:
• 68 I. Allegro moderato 08:08
• 69 II. Adagio molto espressivo 09:32
• 70 III. Scherzo. Allegro 03:46
• 71 IV. Presto 07:11
• Total Runtime 08:03:43

Info for The RIAS Amadeus Quartet Beethoven Recordings (Remastered)

Through the Amadeus Quartet’s regular visits to the Berlin RIAS studios over a period of 20 years, the archives there hold a representative cross-section of the quartet’s repertoire. Of particular interest is the (almost) complete cycle of Ludwig van Beethoven’s string quartets, recorded between 1950 and 1967. These recordings clearly document the development of the Amadeus Quartet’s interpretation of Beethoven’s music over a time-span of 17 years, as well as the evolution of the ensemble as a whole.

​Since the beginning of their career, the legendary Amadeus Quartet regularly came to make recordings at the studios of the RIAS in Berlin. Thus a representative cross-section of the ensemble's repertoire came into being in the archive there, which is to be released by audite in a total of six volumes. At the beginning of this new series is the (almost) complete Beethoven cycle, recorded during the years from 1950 to 1967 and now being made available to the public for the first time. The recording documents how the Amadeus Quartet develops the Beethovenian quartet cosmos with continuous aspiration towards the highest standards. The development of the Beethoven interpretations also shows the evolution of the ensemble as a whole. The String Quintet in C major, Op. 20 recorded together with the violist Cecil Aronowitz, is by no means merely a substitute for the String Quartet in E-flat major, Op. 74, which was not taken into account in the production plans of the RIAS. The RIAS studio recordings are also distinguished for the fact that each movement of a work has been recorded in one continuous take. The resulting intensity combines the excitement of a live situation with the advantages of the studio setting. These recordings thus stand in contrast to later studio productions of the same repertoire.This release is furnished with a "producer's comment" by producer Ludger Böckenhoff on our home page.This CD forms part of our series "Legendary Recordings" and bears the stamp "1st Master Release". This term stands for the exceptional quality of audite's archive releases which are all, without exception, produced using original tapes from the radio archives. Usually, these are the original analogue tapes with tape speeds of up to 76 cm/s which are of astonishingly high quality, even by today's standards. In addition, the process of re-mastering - executed with professional expertise and sensitivity - reveals hitherto hidden details of the interpretations, creating a sonic image of superior quality. CD releases produced from private recordings of radio broadcasts or old 78rpm records cannot match this level of sound quality.

Cecil Aronowitz, violin
Amadeus Quartet

Digitally remastered

Amadeus Quartet
English string quartet (1948–87), one of the most durable and highly regarded quartets of Europe. The quartet was formed in 1947, the result of an internment-camp meeting during World War II between three young Austrian Jewish refugees—Peter Schidlof, the group’s violist; Norbert Brainin, a violinist; and Siegmund Nissel, also a violinist. They were released from the camp with help from Dame Myra Hess and Ralph Vaughan Williams. Schidlof, who had been a violinist, began to study the viola. With the introduction in 1946 of Martin Lovett, a British cellist, to the group, the Brainin Quartet was formed.

The group gave its first performance as the Amadeus Quartet in London on Jan. 10, 1948. Touring extensively, the Amadeus performed throughout Europe, Canada, the United States, Japan, and South America. Noted for its smooth, sophisticated style, its seamless ensemble playing, and its sensitive interpretation, the quartet made some 200 recordings, among them the complete quartets of Ludwig van Beethoven, Johannes Brahms, and W.A. Mozart. Though they emphasized a standard Classical and Romantic repertory, they also performed works by such 20th-century composers as Bela Bartók and Benjamin Britten (who wrote his third quartet expressly for them). The group disbanded upon the death of Schidlof in 1987.

Booklet for The RIAS Amadeus Quartet Beethoven Recordings (Remastered)