The Auryn Series: Beethoven String Quartets, Vol. 4 cover

The Auryn Series: Beethoven String Quartets, Vol. 4

Ludwig van Beethoven · 2004

124 min · 18 tracks · classical music

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Elevation

Our rating, out of 100 — and why.

AI-generated from five scored dimensions. An opinion, not a measurement.

Instrumental
93 /100
Summit
Higher than 100% of albums we've rated

The original Op. 130 sequence and the long-to-compact progression make a coherent program of exceptionally demanding quartet writing; the recording itself is one interpretation am…

What we noticed

  • Op. 130 places the Große Fuge between the Cavatina and the finale, preserving the quartet’s original large-scale sequence rather than appending the fugue.
  • Op. 131 runs through seven movements without a conventional pause-filled reset: a fugue opens it, and a long variation movement anchors its center.
  • After those two expansive late quartets, the four-movement Op. 135 closes the program with a compact finale built around a slow introduction and a fast Allegro.
Composition 25% of the score
10/10

the writing — melody, harmony, structure, lyrics

Craft 20% of the score
8/10

production, performance, arrangement

Durability 25% of the score
9/10

whether it rewards returning to it

Distinctiveness 18% of the score
6/10

whether it sounds like itself

Sequencing 12% of the score
8/10

running order, pacing, length

Influence 2/10

Little footprint beyond its audience. Reported but not counted — how far a record travelled describes its reception rather than the record, and a newer release has had less time to travel than an older one.

Tracklist

Best experienced from track one — press play and let it unfold.

Disc 1

  • 1 String Quartet no. 13 in B‐flat major, op. 130: I. Adagio ma non troppo - Allegro 13:19
  • 2 String Quartet no. 13 in B‐flat major, op. 130: II. Presto 2:02
  • 3 String Quartet no. 13 in B‐flat major, op. 130: III. Andante con moto ma non troppo 6:47
  • 4 String Quartet no. 13 in B‐flat major, op. 130: IV. Alla danza tedesca. Allegro assai 2:41
  • 5 String Quartet no. 13 in B‐flat major, op. 130: V. Cavatina. Adagio molto espressivo 8:11
  • 6 Große Fuge in B‐flat major, op. 133 16:56
  • 7 String Quartet No. 13 in B‐flat major, op. 130: VI. Finale. Allegro 9:54

Disc 2

  • 1 String Quartet no. 14 in C‐sharp minor, op. 131: I. Adagio ma non troppo e molto espressivo 6:53
  • 2 String Quartet no. 14 in C‐sharp minor, op. 131: II. Allegro molto vivace 2:49
  • 3 String Quartet no. 14 in C‐sharp minor, op. 131: III. Allegro moderato 0:53
  • 4 String Quartet no. 14 in C‐sharp minor, op. 131: IV. Andante ma non troppo e molto cantabile 14:17
  • 5 String Quartet no. 14 in C‐sharp minor, op. 131: V. Presto 5:06
  • 6 String Quartet no. 14 in C‐sharp minor, op. 131: VI. Adagio quasi un poco andante 2:00
  • 7 String Quartet no. 14 in C‐sharp minor, op. 131: VII. Allegro 6:53
  • 8 String Quartet no. 16 in F major, op. 135: I. Allegretto 6:37
  • 9 String Quartet no. 16 in F major, op. 135: II. Vivace 3:16
  • 10 String Quartet no. 16 in F major, op. 135: III. Assai lento, cantante e tranquillo 8:55
  • 11 String Quartet no. 16 in F major, op. 135: IV. Grave, ma non troppo tratto - Allegro 6:41

What to play next

The Auryn Series: Beethoven String Quartets, Vol. 2
Listen next

The Auryn Series: Beethoven String Quartets, Vol. 2

2004
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Reference: MusicBrainz