I've been playing the Quartetto Italiano's Philips recordings of
the Beethoven quartets for years and I LOVE 'EM! Their enthusiasm is
unrelenting, well worth the couple of bow rasps that you'll encounter along
the way. Others for the late quartets that I know of (they may or may not
be parts of series) include the Wiener Konzerthausquartett for op. 127 and
the Hollywood and Smetana quartets for op. 130. I hear the Guarneri's op.
135 on the radio the other day, and they do a good job with it although
they are not as abandonned as is the Italiano.
Aaron J. Rabushka
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