Top ten string quartets

[Seán]

These lists are usually controversial, no harm in posting them though. I would drop the Takács and replace them with the Budapest.

Busch Quartet (founded 1919)

Mention the Busch Quartet to any string lover and they're likely to go weak at the knees. Some would say they've never been surpassed despite the fact that they were founded nearly a century ago by the German violinist Adolph Busch. Though it took a little to find their definitive line-up, once they had – with Adolph's brother Hermann joining as cellist – they were world beating. It was the almost spiritual quality of their interpretations that made them so revered. That, and a plangent sound that has an almost vocal element. Perhaps this came from their strength of conviction: they courageously boycotted their German homeland once the Nazis rose to power. Their Schubert is essential.


Quartetto Italiano (founded 1945)

Founded by four young Italians in the year the Second World War ended, the Quartetto Italiano flourished for the next 35 years (during which time the two violinists became Mr and Mrs). Their sophisticated, honed sound and individual brand of refined Classicism was very new at the time, and they championed not only the established greats (their Mozart and Beethoven cycles were particularly acclaimed) but also quartets by Webern and Milhaud. Even today their accounts of the Debussy and Ravel quartets knock spots off most others, simply sounding 'right' where others can be contrived.
Recommended recording: Debussy/Ravel: String Quartets


Talich Quartet (founded 1964)

There's a great tradition of Czech string playing, and many inspiring groups have come from that neck of the woods. The Talich Quartet is a particularly long-lived animal: having started in 1964, with various changes of personnel, it's still going strong today. Typically Czech is the almost liquid warmth of sound and a flexibility that is as compelling in Smetana and Dvořák as it is in Beethoven, led very much from the front by glowingly toned Jan Talich Sr. Their Beethoven quartet cycle from the late 70s (with the equally charismatic leader Petr Messiereur) still more than holds its own today: it's at once intellectually probing, energetic and sublimely beautiful.


Alban Berg Quartett (founded 1970)

Some quartets are so much part of the musical furniture that it's easy to take their greatness for granted. The Viennese Alban Berg Quartett are upholders of tradition in the best sense – and have also been inspiring mentors of numerous younger groups. Hailing from a city where some of the finest quartets were written (those of Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Berg, Schoenberg and Webern), the ABQ took their calling seriously, with an unfailingly intellectual approach to music-making. But there's nothing arid about the results, with recordings that are endlessly subtle and reveal more on every listening.


Kronos Quartet (founded 1973)

Various groups have confounded the idea of what a quartet should be about, but none has done it as surpassingly well as the Kronos. Even today, four decades on, they've lost none of their pioneering spirit and their extroverted sound is immediately recognisable. Not only has this San Francisco-based quartet enlarged the repertoire considerably with frequent commissions (some 800 to date), but they have collaborated with greats from every musical field – including Thelonious Monk, Jimi Hendrix and Sigur Rós. These are no idle 'crossover' experiments, but genuine journeys of discovery: the compelling results speak for themselves.

Recommended recording: Pieces of Africa


Takács Quartet (founded 1975)

The Takács started out life in Budapest, when four students at the city's academy decided to form a quartet. And 40 years on, there's no sign of a mid-life crisis – even though they're now located in Colorado and only two of the original members (the second violin and cello) remain. With British violinist Edward Dusinberre as leader, they combine that elusive mix of being immediately recognisable and yet able to inhabit a different world depending on what they're playing. Whatever they do, they manage to make you believe that it's the only approach. Their Beethoven is endlessly fascinating but just as seminal is their thrillingly reactive Bartók.


Hagen Quartet (founded 1981)

The Busch brothers may have formed half of their eponymous quartet, but the Hagen went still further, originally consisting entirely of siblings. The second violinist soon bowed out, but the line-up of Lukas, Veronika and Clemens Hagen with Rainer Schmidt has long proved a winner. Their very particular sound derives, in part, from the four Stradivarius instruments previously played in the Paganini, Cleveland and Tokyo quartets. That, and their ability to take the most hackneyed of works and make them seem utterly contemporary. Their ear for detail and the subtlest of ranges of sound yields one of the greatest Mozart cycles.

Recommended recording: Mozart: String Quartets


Quatuor Mosaïques (founded 1987)

Period-instrument quartets are pretty rare things, even now that period-instrument orchestras are two a penny. The Mosaïques was formed by four players who had worked under that pioneer of the 'authentic' movement, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, so it's no surprise that the group is high on personality. And they consistently shed new light on music we thought we knew; particularly their Haydn and Mozart, Schubert and Beethoven, but also going as far forward as Mendelssohn. With a vibrato-light approach, the music takes on a searing edge, which they combine with innate virtuosity and a directness that is irresistible.

Recommended recording: Haydn: 3 Late String Quartets, Op. 77


Quatuor Ébène (founded 1999)

A young group already making waves, with a mantlepiece heaving with awards, is the French Ébène (formed in 1999). What stands out is a freshness of approach that means nothing is taken for granted. They see quartets as well-known as those of Debussy and Ravel in a new light, without ever resorting to gimmickry. They're the real deal – nothing seems to faze them technically and there's a potent sense of four big personalities at work. They positively engulf you with their warmth and immediacy. Oh, and they're partial to a little crossing over, too, with their recent Brazil album as convincing as their exploration of the works by the Mendelssohn siblings.

Recommended recording: Felix and Fanny Mendelssohn: String Quartets


Pavel Haas Quartet (founded 2002)

Did I say that string quartets improved with age? Well there are exceptions to every rule. The Pavel Haas (Czech, like the Talich Quartet) seemed to appear fully formed in 2002, and started winning prizes very early on in their career. They're still mere babes in arms compared to most groups, but such is their empathy with one another and with what they're playing, and their general joie de vivre, that you can't help but be seduced. They can make a wondrously rich chocolatey sound, but emotions can also be fearlessly laid bare (very bare when it comes to Janáček or Schubert) and not everything has to be beautiful. Fearlessness – that word again – is as vital an ingredient today as it was in the Busch's era.

Recommended recording: Dvorak: String Quartets in G Major, Op.106 & in F Major, Op.96 'American'

[fergus]

These lists are usually controversial, no harm in posting them though. I would drop the Takács and replace them with the Budapest.

[/quote]

All of the top names are there but I would agree with you Seán, the Takács can be inconsistent and even OTT at times. I must confess ignorance of both the Quatuor Ébène and the Pavel Haas Quartet.

[Seán]

These lists are usually controversial, no harm in posting them though. I would drop the Takács and replace them with the Budapest.

All of the top names are there but I would agree with you Seán, the Takács can be inconsistent and even OTT at times. I must confess ignorance of both the Quatuor Ébène and the Pavel Haas Quartet.

I like the Quatuor Ébène but I have never heard the Pavel Haas either I'm afraid. I would have refused to post the article if my beloved Italians were not included. LOL

[Jose Echenique]

The Kronos champions and performs contemporary music of course, which is fine, but I wonder how well they could play a Mozart or Beethoven quartet.

[DonKC]

The Haas is a great quartet, but has limited releases on Supraphon mostly Janacek and their namesake Pavel Haas. Quite good, but really not much of a repertoire yet.

Kronos leaves me cold. Like Yo Yo Ma, they are all over the map, literally and figuratively.

No Budapest or Hollywood String Qt???

Quatuor Mosaïques and Quatuor Ébène... not really familiar.

My 2 cents

[markof]

I'd vote for the Belcea Quartet.
Their two volumes (2013) of Beethoven String Quartets are excellent IMHO.





Mark

[james]

I would include the Arditti because they play stuff that noone else does ..

[fergus]

The Haas is a great quartet, but has limited releases on Supraphon mostly Janacek and their namesake Pavel Haas. Quite good, but really not much of a repertoire yet.

Kronos leaves me cold. Like Yo Yo Ma, they are all over the map, literally and figuratively.

No Budapest or Hollywood String Qt???

Quatuor Mosaïques and Quatuor Ébène... not really familiar.

My 2 cents

Already agreed on the Budapest but I had forgotten about the wonderful Hollywood String Qt!!

[fergus]

I'd vote for the Belcea Quartet.
Their two volumes (2013) of Beethoven String Quartets are excellent IMHO.





Mark

I only recently purchased some performances by the Belcea Quartet so I am not that familiar with them yet. However, what I have heard of them so far does impress me. Perhaps I might take a punt on that Beethoven cycle.

[fergus]

I would include the Arditti because they play stuff that noone else does ..

Again, they are only a recent purchase so I do not much of them. I fear that I will not be purchasing the Stockhausen however LOL!!