Beethoven: String Quartets Nos. 14 & 16, Opp. 131, 135
Leonard Bernstein's otherwise harmonious relationship with the Vienna Philharmonic hit a few bumps when he proposed that they perform this string quartet transcription of Beethoven'sQuartet in C-sharp Minor, op. 131. But only a few minutes into the first rehearsal, all static evaporated. One hears why: this great, idiosyncratic piece--along with the Quartet in F, op. 135--is played with startling freshness and affection. The unanimity of the orchestra ensures that textures are rarely muddied, while the sound of massed strings gives the music a grandeur always implied but never realized by conventional string quartet performances. What comes most to the fore in this version is the music's meditative qualities. At times, the slow movements sound likeMahler, with whom Bernstein identified even more strongly than with Beethoven.--David Patrick Stearns