Takács String Quartet

Bartok: 6 String Quartets

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Bartok: 6 String Quartets Review

by Blair Sanderson

Daring in virtuosity, vigorous in interpretation, and spellbinding in effect, the Takács Quartet has recorded one of the truly great sets of Bartók's monumental String Quartets (6), seldom matched and surely never surpassed. In hearing this stellar ensemble play, one is struck not so much by Bartók's unusual musical details or his myriad technical devices -- the quartets are practically a bible of advanced string techniques -- but instead, the listener is treated to "big-picture" interpretations that emphasize the shape of the movements and their relations to each other as coherent musical structures. The Takács Quartet's overarching, holistic interpretations are aided by the set's division: disc one features the odd-numbered quartets, and the even-numbered works are on disc two, so the awkward break between movements that normally results from a sequential arrangement is avoided. With explosive energy, genuine Hungarian passion, and astonishing propulsion, the musicians also play with an ear to intelligibility, and manage to make even the thorniest and densest of the quartets -- Nos. 3 and 4 -- sound utterly natural, transparently structured, and deeply communicative. London's exceptional reproduction captures the ensemble with delicious resonance; while this takes some of the bite off the harshest dissonances, it adds a perceptible luster to Bartók's palette and is preferable to the aridity of some recordings.

Track Listing - Disc 1

Sample		Title/Composer	Performer	Time	Stream
String Quartet No. 1 in A minor, Sz. 40, BB 52 (Op. 7)
	1	I. Lento Béla Bartók	Takács String Quartet	09:14	Amazon
	2	II. Allegretto (Introduzione) Béla Bartók	Takács String Quartet	08:08	Amazon
	3	III. Allegro vivace Béla Bartók	Takács String Quartet	11:06	Amazon
String Quartet No. 3 in C sharp major, Sz. 85, BB 93
	4	Prima parte: Moderato Béla Bartók	Takács String Quartet	04:50	Amazon
	5	Seconda parte: Allegro Béla Bartók	Takács String Quartet	05:31	Amazon
	6	Ricapitulazione della prima parte: Moderato - Coda: Allegro molto Béla Bartók	Takács String Quartet	05:05	Amazon
String Quartet No. 5 in B flat major, Sz. 102, BB 110
	7	I. Allegro Béla Bartók	Takács String Quartet	07:32	Amazon
	8	II. Adagio molto Béla Bartók	Takács String Quartet	06:08	Amazon
	9	III. Scherzo Béla Bartók	Takács String Quartet	05:00	Amazon
	10	IV. Andante Béla Bartók	Takács String Quartet	04:50	Amazon
	11	V. Finale Béla Bartók	Takács String Quartet	06:53	Amazon

Track Listing - Disc 2

Sample		Title/Composer	Performer	Time	Stream
String Quartet No. 2 in A minor, Sz. 67, BB 75 (Op. 17)
	1	I. Moderato Béla Bartók	Takács String Quartet	09:44	Amazon
	2	II. Allegro molto capriccioso Béla Bartók	Takács String Quartet	07:18	Amazon
	3	III. Lento Béla Bartók	Takács String Quartet	08:55	Amazon
String Quartet No. 4 in C major, Sz. 91, BB 95
	4	I. Allegro Béla Bartók	Takács String Quartet	05:58	Amazon
	5	II. Prestissimo, con sordino Béla Bartók	Takács String Quartet	02:43	Amazon
	6	III. Non troppo lento Béla Bartók	Takács String Quartet	05:32	Amazon
	7	IV. Allegretto pizzicato Béla Bartók	Takács String Quartet	02:37	Amazon
	8	V. Allegro molto Béla Bartók	Takács String Quartet	05:44	Amazon
String Quartet No. 6 in D major, Sz. 114, BB 119
	9	I. Mesto - Piu mosso, pesante - Vivace Béla Bartók	Takács String Quartet	07:14	Amazon
	10	II. Mesto - Marcia Béla Bartók	Takács String Quartet	07:47	Amazon
	11	III. Mesto - Burletta Béla Bartók	Takács String Quartet	07:21	Amazon
	12	IV. Mesto Béla Bartók	Takács String Quartet	06:53	Amazon