Portici Quartet

he Miró Quartet, generally considered as one of the most established US classical ensembles, makes its PENTATONE debut with a complete recording of the Beethoven string quartets. Beethoven’s quartets truly stand at the centre of the repertoire, and present the summit for any quartet. Listening to Beethoven’s entire string quartet oeuvre – from the early op. 18 volume and Rasumovsky quartets to the otherworldly and modern-sounding pieces written during his final years – is a life-changing experience, and so is performing them integrally. This collection offers the results of 15 years of playing and recording Beethoven, and not only anticipates the 2020 commemoration of the composer’s 250thbirthday, but also the 25th anniversary of the Miró Quartet itself.

It was in 1964 a few years after an early foray into Beethoven with four of the works for RCA Victors Red Seal label that the Juilliard String Quartet embarked on this complete set. They started out with the three Razumovsky and Harp quartets, which Columbia released the next year on its subsidiary Epic label. The six Early Quartets, op. 18, followed in 196869; the Late Quartets in 196970, along with op. 95 to complete the set of Middle Quartets. By now all the Juilliard recordings were appearing on Columbia Masterworks, including their Beethoven in three separate volumes. In celebration of the 250th anniversary of Beethovens birth, Sony Classical is pleased to present the Juilliards complete cycle for the first time in a single box, newly remastered on nine albums.

Since its formation in 1975, the Takács Quartet has been recognized as one of the world's leading string quartets. Their award-winning recordings include the complete Beethoven String Quartets for Decca, recorded between 2002 and 2004. Decca Classics celebrates the acclaimed quartet with this multi-media presentation of the Beethoven quartets on 7 CDs and a 104-page booklet.

This is the first ever release of the Juilliard String Quartet’s complete EPIC recordings from 1956 to 1966 in a single 11-CD edition. The set includes four LP recordings appearing for the first time on CD and eight CDs remastered from the original analogue tapes. The Quartet’s legacy is evident in their accumulated reviews for their outstanding recordings. On Mozart’s six “Haydn” Quartets, a Gramophone reviewer stated that they were “the best performances [they] have ever heard”. Although the Quartet have excelled in their interpretations of 18th- and 19th-century repertoire, their original purpose was to promote 20th-century music. Thus, it is unsurprising that the first album in this box set features a special recording of lesser-known works by American composers Benjamin Lees and William Denny.