Beethoven: String Quartets Op 59, String Quintet Op 29; Kuijken Quartet – review

(Challenge Classics)This is a family affair: two generations of Kuijkens – Veronica, Sigiswald, Sara and Wieland – play Beethoven's three middle-period Opus 59 Quartets, the "Rasumovskys". The set may not replace existing favourites in a heavily populated field. There's none of the radiance and persuasion of the Emersons or the intimacy of the Takács. Instead, their unadorned verve and clarity reflect a background in period performance, which has its own appeal. They use "modern" instrument...

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