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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