Beethoven: "Razumovsky" Quartets VII, VIII & IX (Op. 59, Nos. 1-3)
12/9/2011, 12 Tracks, 1:48:13
Featuring
Martin Beaver
Kikuei Ikeda
Kazuhide Isomura
Clive Greensmith
Tokyo String Quartet
Ludwig van Beethoven
Did you know?
1/7
Composer Biography
Beethoven's hearing began to degenerate in the late 1790s, a loss he openly acknowledged in his 1802 Heiligenstadt Testament.
Performer Biography
The Tokyo String Quartet was officially formed in 1969 at the Juilliard School of Music and has released over 30 landmark recordings.
Recording & Production
This album was recorded in April 2005 at Skywalker Sound, a Lucasfilm Ltd. Company, in Marin County, California.
Composition History
Beethoven's Opus 59 String Quartets were composed in 1805 and 1806 in response to a commission from Count Andreas Kyrillovitch Razumovsky, a Russian ambassador in Vienna and patron of the arts.
Compositional Technique
The Opus 59 quartets, like Beethoven's Third Symphony (Eroica), are conceived on a large, heroic scale, replacing polite dialogue with sweeping exhortations.
Instruments
The Tokyo String Quartet performs on 'The Paganini Quartet,' a group of renowned Stradivarius instruments named for legendary virtuoso Niccolò Paganini.
Critical Reception
When the first of the Opus 59 quartets was premiered, musicians like Ignaz Schuppanzigh laughed, convinced Beethoven was playing a joke.
