The violinist Leonidas Kavakos has many strings to his bow: an acclaimed soloist, he conducts orchestras – his first love – and is a chamber musician. This double album bears witness to the skills of this musical polymath who knows his Beethoven. He functions here both as soloist and conductor of the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, which boasts over 60 musicians. In line with the practices of the composer's lifetime, this choice highlights the "egalitarian" style of the concerto's writing. While a virtuoso piece for sure, this score is more than just a pedestal for the soloist: the latter works closely with their peers, and shares every theme with them. Leonidas Kavakos gives a magisterial performance at the head of this impressive orchestra and brings forth some sumptuous nuances from the players, commanding their sustained and close attention. Heir to Viennese Classicism, Beethoven opened the way to the Concertos of Brahms or Sibelius, in which the solo violin often accompanies the orchestra with acrobatic embellishments. As agile as he was at the start of his career, the soloist doesn't perform Kreisler's famous cadence, but rather brings to life what Beethoven published for piano. This moment of complicity with the orchestra continues in camera in the Septet, Op. 20, the first score of the kind, in which the musicians sound like a small orchestra; and then finally in the 6 National Airs with Variations, Op. 105 for piano and flute (or violin ad libitum). Commissioned by a Scottish publisher when Beethoven was composing his Ninth Symphony, these miniatures for amateurs sound just as fresh as their dancing melodies. A very fine record which shows Beethoven in a less stormy light than usual. © Elsa Siffert/Qobuz

New album of Beethoven’s late String Quartets by the prestigious Tetzlaff Quartett offers a fitting tribute to Beethoven’s 250th anniversary year. These monumental works which are given fresh interpretations by the quartet are among the greatest achievements in the history of Western art music written by a composer who had already largely lost contact with the world. When writing his final String Quartets (Op. 127–135) Beethoven was becoming increasingly ill and understood that he would never be able to recover fully. Beethoven had just completed his 9th Symphony when he received a commission to write string quartets. What resulted was a string of totally unique masterpieces highly individual in their language and unusual in their form. String Quartet in A minor, Op. 132 is a work in 5 movements with movements Nos. 1, 3, and 5 being the central bearers of meaning. The quartet’s hub and pivot is the middle part of the work, Heiliger Dankgesang eines Genesenen an die Gottheit, in der lidischen Tonart ("Holy Song of Thanksgiving of a Convalescent to the Divinity, in the Lydian Mode"). The biographical context of this title is obvious and specifically refers to the severe bout of illness experienced by Beethoven from the middle of April to the beginning of May 1825. The Grosse Fuge, Op. 133 is a work that has fascinated listeners for two centuries. Originally, String Quartet in B-flat major, Op. 130 and Grosse Fuge Op. 133 were part of one and same work. Beethoven had written the Fuge as the final movement for the String Quartet, but his publisher urged him to write a new ending. For this album, Tetzlaff Quartett performs the String Quartet Op. 130 together with the Grosse Fuge, thus bringing the work back to its original form. Praised by "The New York Times" for its “dramatic, energetic playing of clean intensity”, the Tetzlaff Quartett is one of today’s leading string quartets. Alongside their successful individual careers, Christian and Tanja Tetzlaff, Hanna Weinmeister and Elisabeth Kufferath have met since 1994 to perform several times each season in concerts that regularly receive great critical acclaim. They are frequent guests at international festivals such as the Berliner Festwochen, Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival and Bremen Musikfest. Other recent highlights include performances at Kölner Philharmonie, Konzerthaus Berlin and Paris’ Auditorium du Louvre, as well as a North America tour with concerts at Carnegie Hall, in San Francisco and Vancouver. The quartet has also performed at Brussels’ BOZAR, Wiener Musikverein, Herkulessaal München, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw and London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall. © Ondine

Because the Belcea Quartet has divided the string quartets of Ludwig van Beethoven between two box sets, and arranged them so that early, middle, and late works appear in each volume, newcomers to this music may find the program a bit arbitrary and slightly complicated. Undoubtedly, the Belcea wants listeners to approach these landmark works with new ears, and to prevent the expectations that come with time-honored groupings. Hearing the three "Razumovsky" quartets played together, for example, or the Grosse Fuge with its original parent work, Op. 130, listeners might lose that most essential feature in Beethoven, the element of surprise. And the Belcea is quite good at surprises. The group takes pains to articulate the quartets in unpredictable ways, giving each part a strong character, accentuating passages that are often smoothed over, and providing an edginess that maintains suspense. Tempos are on the brisk side, and the string tone is sometimes brusque and even rough, with a kind of grit that is almost harsh. The tension is at its most pronounced in the Grosse Fuge, which is played with a manic frenzy that tangles the counterpoint to the point of incomprehensibility and makes the work unnecessarily grotesque. However, this is an extreme case, and the remaining works are played with less aggressiveness and more humanity. By far the loveliest playing is in the slow movements, particularly in the tender Cavatina of Op. 130, and the sublime Lento assai of Op. 135. Still, taken as a whole, the Belcea's interpretations are bracing and vigorous by most standards, and listeners should sample this set extensively before purchasing.© TiVo

Three world-class soloists gathered in Paris to celebrate the music of Ludwig van Beethoven, in the year that marks the 250th anniversary of his birth, and recorded the only two Beethoven Trios for Piano, Clarinet and Cello, his Opus 11 and Opus 38. This is the third album for Paraty label by Filipe Pinto-Ribeiro, one of the great European pianists of his generation and artistic director of the DSCH – Shostakovich Ensemble, who now appears with celebrated clarinettist Pascal Moraguès, first Solo Clarinet of Orchestre de Paris since 40 years, and acclaimed cellist Adrian Brendel, which discography includes a Beethoven monographic album with legendary pianist Alfred Brendel, his father, with a reference recording of Beethoven Sonatas for Cello and Piano. This album was recorded at La Seine Musicale, near Paris. © Paraty

Beethoven arranged. Ludwig van Beethoven’s artistic greatness is measured not only by his symphonies, piano sonatas, and string quartets but also in the smaller dimensions of songs, duos, and ensemble music. Beethoven also set standards, created new things, and encouraged experiments in these secondary or occasional works – and did so with an impact felt right through to the present, as the arrangements by Andreas N. Tarkmann demonstrate – for example, in the dialogue form between voice or cello and piano and the sound world of winds and strings. Tarkmann has arranged the twelve Variations on a Theme from "Judas Maccabaeus" for octet and fully exploits expanded tone-color resources such as the juxtaposition of wind and string "choirs" already in the theme. When Tarkmann was asked whether an arrangement can be "better" than the original, he replied: "Both the variations and the song collection appealed very much to me as an arranger. Such an arrangement is of course a very precise occupation with the original source, and in both works I had the vision that their compositional qualities would be even more clearly audible in an instrumental version. By this I mean new audio perspectives, the clarification and elaboration of harmonic and formal structures as well as an enrichment of the tone colors". © CPO

Conductor Susanna Mälkki gained plenty of attention during her tenure as chief conductor of the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, which concluded in 2023; she made several recordings with the group, and some of these turned out to have commercial appeal. This one made classical best-seller lists in early 2024. Mälkki is most identified with 20th century and contemporary music, but here, she shows plenty of expertise in music by the most mainstream of Finnish composers, Jean Sibelius. Here, she and the Philharmonic essay some early Sibelius, which tends to be of a Wagnerian or a blood-and-guts cast, but the mature Sibelius is always lurking, ready to come out. There are some familiar pieces here; the Karelia Suite, Op. 11, is a picturesque work that is often performed everywhere, and The Swan of Tuonela, from the programmatic Lemminkäinen Suite, Op. 22, is a concert standard. Sample the latter for a taste of Mälkki's gifts; the sound is flawless and the performance elegant, but there is not a hint of fussy perfectionism, and go on to the darker, adventure-oriented final two movements of this suite. In general, Mälkki avoids overdoing these works, which can sound like Gilbert and Sullivan if they get out of hand. The three-movement suite Rakastava, Op. 14, which started life as music for a male choir, is not often heard, at least outside Finland, and it is another draw in a greatly satisfying Sibelius release. The three works were recorded at different times, but the album nevertheless emerges as a sonic and artistic whole.© James Manheim /TiVo

There is absolutely no shortage of Beethoven string quartet recordings, and a new set by the promisingly awarded but not terribly well-known Calidore String Quartet may not stir up much interest. Furthermore, the group plunges in with the late quartets for its opening volume; many quartets wait until well into mid-career to take on these profound works, but anyone giving this set a miss will be deprived of an extraordinary chamber music experience. The players have clearly thought through every phrase of the music, with electric results. Sometimes it is a matter of sheer clarity. Consider the difficult Grosse Fuge, Op. 133, all too often a mass of undifferentiated sound. Listeners may be surprised to find that the Calidore's performance is half a minute faster than average, even with the careful separation of the polyphonic lines. Beethoven's transcendent simple melodies and soaring variation sets are deeply felt; the magnificent Lydian prayer of the middle movement of the String Quartet No. 15 in A minor, Op. 132, is never overdone and is gripping indeed. In general, the Calidore String Quartet leans toward delicacy rather than extremity. Consider the Scherzo of the String Quartet No. 15 in F major, Op. 135, where the abrupt flat seventh unison is done in such a way that it can fade gracefully back to normalcy. Possibly those who prefer really radical versions of these works may find the Calidore a bit sedate, but there are so many wonderful moments to discover that even those listeners should hear these recordings. This is not the Calidore String Quartet's debut release, but it announces a major new presence on the chamber music scene. © James Manheim /TiVo

Beethoven's nine symphonies -- what can one say? The greatest body of orchestral works ever composed? Probably. The most performed body of orchestral works ever composed? Certainly. The most recorded body of orchestral works ever composed? Absolutely. Not only has virtually every conductor recorded a Beethoven cycle, some of them have gotten to record it multiple times: Abbado, Bernstein, Solti, Karajan, and Haitink, among others. What does this proliferation tell us? Usually nothing about the music that hasn't been heard before, but sometimes something about what the conductor thinks about the music. These performances with the London Symphony Orchestra recorded in 2005 and 2006 tell what Bernard Haitink thinks about the greatest body of orchestral works ever composed. And what does Haitink think? Pretty much nothing that hasn't been thought before. His tempos are neither too fast nor too slow, but straight down the moderato. His dynamics are neither too loud nor too quiet, but right in the mezzo. His textures are clear and lucid. His colors are blended and smooth. His interpretations are solid and sincere. But what does Haitink tell us about what he thinks about Beethoven's symphonies? Pretty much nothing except that he is an experienced conductor with a superb baton technique who keeps his opinions to himself. The London Symphony's playing is enthusiastic but too often ragged around the edges for comfort. LSO Live's recording is transparent but the perspective seems to shift from work to work -- sometimes the strings are too far away, other times the brass are too close.© TiVo

The celebrated Dover Quartet, the young, concludes its three-volume Beethoven cycle with the composer’s five monumental, revolutionary late Quartets and imposing Grosse Fugue. This album release comprises Beethoven’s very last compositions - remarkable and often daunting works that upended the concept of the string quartet. Many critics and scholars consider them the ultimate expression of Beethoven’s artistry. At the same time, lyrical, songlike "vocal" writing pervades the late Quartets, delighting the same audiences who flocked to Rossini’s operas. The Dover’s first two Beethoven installments were greeted with ecstatic reviews: "Beethoven would find it hard to believe that his quartets could be played with such perfection of execution, such beauty of tone, such nuance of expression, and such keen understanding of his music’s meaning and intent" (Fanfare) “Their Beethoven is, simply, perfection.” (Classical CD Reviews) © Cedille Records

This release by the Danish String Quartet is part of a five-album series titled "Prism," each of which will apparently include three works: an arrangement of a Bach fugue for string quartet, one of Beethoven's five late quartets, and a 20th century work that somehow lies in the shadow of both, or, to use the quartet's own words, "a beam of music is split through Beethoven's prism." In this case, the program is unusually coherent, with the String Quartet No. 3 of Alfred Schnittke engaging itself directly with the Beethoven String Quartet No. 13 in B flat major, Op. 130, and Grosse Fuge, Op. 133, here played as the finale of the String Quartet No. 13 as Beethoven originally conceived the work. Logically, the Beethoven should go in the middle, but after you hear the Danish String Quartet's blistering performance of the String Quartet No. 13, you'll agree that it would be an impossible act to follow. The group gets just how radical this quartet was, especially with the Grosse Fuge in place, as sharp contrasts grow throughout the work and explode in the unthinkably intense fugue. The quartet takes the first movements of the six-movement work very rapidly, with the lighter melodic passages seeming like passing thoughts, takes a deep pause with the Cavatina slow movement, and then plunges into the fugue at top power. They are aided by magnificent engineering work from ECM, working on the Reitstadel Neumarkt, a riding stadium with famed acoustics. The Schnittke quartet is a fascinating work in itself, quoting the Beethoven extensively and exploring its sharp contrasts (sample the Agitato middle movement). One awaits the rest of the Danish String Quartet's series breathlessly, but it's possible that this volume, with a Beethoven performance for the ages, will tower over the rest. A bonus is a set of notes by the great Paul Griffiths, writing mostly for ECM these days.© TiVo

With this new series entitled ‘Salon de musique’, Alpha presents recordings made by artists who have enlivened the Festival of Salon de Provence for some years now: the pianist Eric le Sage, who has made many recordings for Alpha, the clarinettist Paul Meyer etc… with cellist Claudio Bohórquez, they have now put two Beethoven trios on disc. By 1798, the year Ludwig van Beethoven composed his Trio for piano, clarinet and cello op.11, he was already well-known in Vienna as a remarkable improviser and an ambitious young composer. the piece was clearly aimed at the enlightened aristocracy, as well as competent musical amateurs. This did not prevent the critics, though universally positive, from judging the score to be over-complex in places. Dedicated to the Empress Marie-Theresa of Austria, the Septet was published in 1802 by Hofmeister, and on being well-received it was then rearranged for various combinations. Beethoven himself made a version for clarinet, cello and piano, op.38 in E Flat major – the one recorded here. © Alpha Classics

In its mid-'70s recordings of Beethoven's late string quartets, the LaSalle Quartet often comes close to greatness, but only once does it achieve greatness. One cannot argue with the tone or intonation or the ensemble: all are as near to flawless as any quartet has ever gotten. One cannot argue with the group's intention, intensity, or interpretations: all are as close to ideal as it is possible to imagine. But Beethoven's late quartets are beyond the demands of technique or the requirements of interpretations: they are prayers turned into music, meditations by one of the most profound composers who ever lived, contemplations written at the end of his life on the infinite and eternal. And the LaSalle only touches the infinite once in all six of the quartets. Thankfully that one time was in the String Quartet in C sharp minor, perhaps the greatest string quartet ever written. In the C sharp minor, the LaSalle's performance is as numinous as the work itself. But while the LaSalle comes very close to the infinite in the B flat major quartet, there is a hairsbreadth of distance between the group and the eternal. And while in the E flat major, the F major, and the Grosse Fuge, one can almost hear the eternal in the performance, it is darkly, as though through a glass. This is well worth hearing at least once, but only the C sharp minor demands re-listening.© TiVo