Beethoven: Complete String Quartets

Artemis Quartet Virgin Classics 0708582 (7 CDs)****

The Berlin-based Artemis Quartet's Beethoven string quartet cycle was recorded between 1998 and 2011. The recordings cover a change of personnel (of violin and viola, in 2007), and the group's violinists also swap between leading and playing second fiddle. The Artemis in all formats are a technically well-resourced and musically resourceful ensemble. Their playing is invariably lucid, and their hair-trigger delicacy in some of the early quartets is particularly appealing in a spirit-lifting way. The sheer immediacy can result in quick responses that make for nervy climaxes, but the intensity is mostly persuasive. You can probably get a good idea of their achievement from the clarity with which they tackle the complex counterpoint of the Grosse Fuge. The set extends beyond the familiar tally of quartets to the quartet arrangement of the Op 14 Piano Sonata in E. See url.ie/57cs