Album: Beethoven, Complete String Quartets Vol 1 – Belcea Quartet (Zig-Zag Territoires)

Eleven years after launching their recording career with Zig-Zag Territoires, the Belcea Quartet return to the boutique label with their first volume of Beethoven's complete String Quartets.

Tuning remains pristine throughout, while tone, expressivity and attack is bolder, from the heroic yearnings and benign variations of Opus 18 Nos 1, 2, 4 and 6, to the ferocity of Opus 95 and the numinous reflections of Opus 131. Faultless and unsettling.