Beethoven: String Quartets Vol. 5, Op. 59 No. 2 'Razumovsky' & Op. 74 'Harp' – Kodály Quartet, Naxos (CD)

Vadonatúj! Gyári csomagolásban! Fóliázott! Mint a képen! Vásároljon bizalommal! Foliaban! Brand new! Factory packaged! As pictured! Buy with confidence!

Product Details

• UPC: 0730099556224
• Catalogue Number: 8.550562
• Brand/Label: Naxos
• Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven
• Performers: Kodály Quartet
• Release Year: 1999 (recorded 10–12 November 1997 and 3–5 March 1998)
• Genre: Classical – Chamber Music/String Quartet
• Country of Producing: European Union (EU)

Product Features

• Format: Audio CD, DDD (fully digital recording), Stereo
• Total playing time: 67:17
• Series: Naxos Beethoven Complete String Quartets, Vol. 5
• Cover artwork: Salzburg Landscape, by Ferdinand Olivier (1785–1841), AKG Berlin

Overview

This volume jumps forward to the middle-period Beethoven who reshaped the string quartet entirely. The E minor Razumovsky quartet, Op. 59 No. 2, is one of three quartets Beethoven dedicated to the Russian ambassador Count Razumovsky, and it shows exactly why those three works changed the genre — a scale, drama, and structural ambition well beyond anything in Op. 18. The Molto adagio second movement alone runs over twelve minutes, reportedly composed after Beethoven had been contemplating the starry sky, and it carries a depth of feeling that early Beethoven simply doesn't attempt. Op. 74, the "Harp" Quartet, is a genuine change of temperature — its nickname comes from the distinctive pizzicato passages that recur through the first movement, giving the whole work a lighter, more textural character than its Razumovsky companions elsewhere in the cycle. The Kodály Quartet handles both with real conviction, letting the Razumovsky's dramatic weight land fully while keeping the Harp Quartet's charm intact. Recorded over two separate sessions at Budapest's Unitarian Church, this is a genuinely satisfying entry in the complete cycle and arguably one of its stronger volumes.

Interesting Facts

• Op. 59 No. 2 is part of the three "Razumovsky" quartets, dedicated to Count Andrei Razumovsky, the Russian ambassador to Vienna and an amateur violinist himself.
• The Molto adagio of the E minor Razumovsky quartet is reported to have been inspired by Beethoven contemplating the night sky, and remains one of his most searching slow movements.
• Op. 74 earned its "Harp" nickname from the recurring pizzicato figures in its first movement, which suggest the plucked strings of a harp.
• This recording spans two separate sessions nearly four months apart (November 1997 and March 1998), reflecting the extended timeline of Naxos's complete Beethoven quartet project.
• The Kodály Quartet's complete Beethoven cycle for Naxos remains one of the most accessible budget-label surveys of the composer's quartets.

Track Listing

String Quartet in E Minor, Op. 59 No. 2 (Razumovsky) (35:46)

1. Allegro – 10:06 · 2. Molto adagio – 12:33 · 3. Allegretto – 7:29 · 4. Finale: Presto – 5:32

String Quartet in E Flat Major, Op. 74 (Harp) (31:23)

1. Poco adagio – Allegro – 9:25 · 6. Adagio ma non troppo – 9:42 · 7. Presto – 5:22 · 8. Allegretto con variazioni – 6:47

Publishers

Naxos, part of the Naxos Music Group, recorded at the Unitarian Church, Budapest (producer Ibolya Tóth, engineer János Bohus, editing Mária Falvay). Distributed by MVD Music and Video Distribution GmbH, Unterhaching/Munich, Germany.

Enjoyed it? A short review helps other chamber-music collectors decide.