And another CD review.

I own a box set of the complete string quartets of Ludwig van Beethoven, recorded by the Végh Quartet. Like most of these box sets, this one is eight CDs and it's not inexpensive. You need to invest wisely when you spend that money and I think you'll find that this set is a good choice.

When you discuss a collection of performances that cover such a large number of works--really an entire career--it's hard to focus in on just one work or the other. Beethoven's quartets are a key part of his masterpieces and it's worth noting that only the sonatas for his own instrument, the piano, outnumber his quartets. His typical characteristics are here, the rhythmic vitality, the short melodic elements that repeat, the endless invention, the brusque willingness to ignore classical conventions. It's fascinating to listen to the works progress, from the rather conservative early works, following the teachings of his mentor Joseph Haydn, to the later works where he seems to cast off any sense of convention (I've heard an argument from the Arditti Quartet that the Great Fugue, part of the 13th quartet, is the first Modernist music). For me, string quartets are often the most intimate view of a composer's thoughts, perhaps because so many of them are pianists, meaning their piano works reflect the instrument and its challenges, rather than the music in their heads. These quartets are sensational, showing complete mastery of the composer's craft.

Performed in the 1970s, these recordings show more tape hiss than we're used to hearing these days, but the sound is still warm and intimate. The Végh quartet, led by founder Sandor Végh, has a dry, woody sound, although Mr. Végh has a tendency to play flat (he plays first violin throughout). The team plays with beautiful lyricism, especially cellist Paul Szabo, and they are clearly comfortable with the demands of illustrating the works' logic and form. At times, they are a little cautious and this is more of a problem with the later quartets when a firm hand is needed for the nearly violent fortissimos and sharp, aggressive rhythms. Overall, though, these are musicians steeped in the traditions of Beethoven's Austro-Hungarian empire and they play with tremendous sympathy.

9 out of 10

CDs listened to today:

• Frederic Chopin: Polonaises, disk 2
• Green Day: Insomniac
• Kenny Wheeler: Music For Large & Small Ensembles
• Georg Friedrich Handel: Sound An Alarm