ALBAN BERG QUARTET: The Complete Recordings (62 CDs, 8 DVDS)

Spanning repertoire from the Classical to the contemporary and some 30 years of the Alban Berg Quartett’s career, these recordings evince the achievement of an ensemble
whose very name honors both the tradition and innovative musical spirit of its home city, Vienna. Founded in 1970, it soon became recognized as one of the defining quartets of the 20th century and went on to make two landmark recordings of the complete Beethoven cycle, the first in the studio, the second live at Vienna’s Konzerthaus (presented here in both CD and DVD versions). This 70-disc set, which in addition features DVDs of Schubert and a live performance in St Petersburg, also documents the Alban Berg Quartett’s collaborations with such artists as Sabine Meyer, Elisabeth Leonskaja, Alfred Brendel, Rudolf Buchbinder and Philippe Entremont.

2020 marks the 50th anniversary of the Alban Berg Quartett.

Founded in 1970, when it became Vienna’s first full-time string quartet, the Alban Berg Quartett remained active until 2008. From 1981 it retained the same line-up of players for some 25 years: Günter Pichler, Gerhard Schulz, Thomas Kakuska, Valentin Erben.

The Alban Berg Quartett is one of the defining string quartets of the 20th century. It came to exemplify chamber music and the great Viennese tradition for a whole generation of music lovers.*

The Alban Berg Quartett also played an important role in developing the next generation of string quartets through teaching such distinguished ensembles as the Artemis and Belcea Quartets.

The quartet took its name from the composer Alban Berg (1885-1935), Schoenberg’s pupil and one of the leading composers of the Second Viennese School. The name Alban Berg Quartett was chosen both to honour the Viennese musical tradition and to signal the players’ commitment to 20th century music. Around 1970, the four founding members of the quartet studied in the USA with the Lasalle Quartet, an ensemble noted for its interpretations of the music of the Second Viennese School.

Unusually for a chamber ensemble, the Alban Berg Quartett were best-selling recording artists. The first of the group’s two versions of the complete Beethoven quartets proved especially popular: completed in 1983, by 1991 it had sold over 500,000 copies.

This 70-disc set (62 CDs + 8 DVDs) is the most ambitious and comprehensive ever to be dedicated to a string quartet. It comprises the Alban Berg Quartet’s entire recorded catalogue – originally recorded for Teldec and EMI between 1974 and 2003 and now on Warner Classics. The discs are presented in their original cover designs.

The set, which covers more than 100 works by 28 composers, ranges from the Classical period to the late 20th century. While there is a particular emphasis on the Austro-German masters (Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven Schubert, Mendelssohn, Brahms), it includes music by major Czech, Hungarian, Russian and French composers, a number of works by composers contemporary with the Alban Berg Quartett, and even a disc of tango. Beyond the quartet repertoire the set offers quintets and sextets, for which the Alban Berg Quartett is joined by celebrated collaborators.

The centrepieces of the collection are two versions of the complete Beethoven quartets; the first was recorded in the studio between 1978 and 1983 and the second was recorded in 1989 at concerts in Vienna. Also present in two different versions are Mozart’s quartets 14-23, recorded both for Teldec (1975-78) and for EMI (1986-90).

The set includes a first release on CD: the String Quartet No 1 ‘Mobile’ by the Polish-born composer Roman Haubenstock-Ramati (1919–1994)

1 Berg: String Quartet, Op. 3
2 Berg: Lyric Suite - for String Quartet (1926)
3 Haydn: String Quartet, Op. 74 No. 3 in G minor 'The Rider'
4 Haydn: String Quartet, Op. 76 No. 3 in C Major 'Emperor'
5 Schubert: String Quartet No. 13 in a Minor, D804 'Rosamunde'
6 Schubert: String Quartet No. 9 in G minor, D173
7 Webern: Five Movements for String Quartet, Op. 5 (1909)
8 Webern: Six Bagatelles for String Quartet, Op. 9 (1911-1913)
9 Webern: String Quartet, Op. 28 (1937-38)
10 Haubenstock-Ramati: String Quartet No. 1 'Mobile'
11 Urbanner: String Quartet No. 3
12 Dvořák: String Quartet No. 13 in G Major, Op. 106 (B192)
13 Brahms: String Quartet No. 1 in C minor, Op. 51 No. 1
14 Brahms: String Quartet No. 2 in a Minor, Op. 51 No. 2
15 Brahms: String Quartet No. 3 in B Flat Major, Op. 67
16 Mozart: Six Quartets Dedicated to Haydn (Quartets 14-19)
17 Mozart: String Quartet No. 20 in D Major, K499 'Hoffmeister'
18 Mozart: String Quartet No. 21 in D Major, K575 'Prussian No. 1'
19 Mozart: String Quartet No. 22 in B Flat Major, K589 'Prussian No. 2'
20 Mozart: String Quartet No. 23 in F Major, K590 'Prussian No. 3'
21 Beethoven: String Quartets Nos. 1-16 (Complete, Inc. Grosse Fuge)
22 Schubert: String Quartet No. 15 in G Major, D887
23 Schubert: String Quintet in C Major, D956
24 Bartók: String Quartets Nos. 1-6
25 Stravinsky: Three Pieces for String Quartet
26 Stravinsky: Concertino for String Quartet
27 Stravinsky: Double Canon (Raoul Dufy in Memoriam)
28 Haubenstock-Ramati: String Quartet No. 2
29 Einem: String Quartet No. 1, Op. 45
30 Debussy: String Quartet in G minor, Op. 10
31 Alban Berg Quartett (String Quartet)
32 Ravel: String Quartet in F Major
33 Schubert: String Quartet No. 14 in D minor, D810 'Death and the Maiden'
34 Schubert: String Quartet No. 13 in a Minor, D804 'Rosamunde'
35 Schumann: Piano Quintet in E Flat Major, Op. 44
36 Mozart: String Quartet No. 19 in C Major, K465 'Dissonance'
37 Schubert: Piano Quintet in a Major, D667 'The Trout'
38 Mozart: String Quintet No. 3 in C Major, K515
39 Mozart: String Quintet No. 4 in G minor, K516
40 Mozart: String Quartet No. 14 in G Major, K387 'Spring'
41 Mozart: String Quartet No. 15 in D minor, K421
42 Mozart: String Quartet No. 17 in B Flat Major, K458 'The Hunt'
43 Mozart: String Quartet No. 16 in E Flat, K428
44 Mozart: String Quartet No. 18 in a Major, K464 'Drum'
45 Mozart: String Quartet No. 19 in C Major, K465 'Dissonance'
46 Mozart: String Quartet No. 20 in D Major, K499 'Hoffmeister'
47 Mozart: String Quartet No. 21 in D Major, K575 'Prussian No. 1'
48 Mozart: String Quartet No. 22 in B Flat Major, K589 'Prussian No. 2'
49 Mozart: String Quartet No. 23 in F Major, K590 'Prussian No. 3'
50 Brahms: Piano Quintet in F minor, Op. 34
51 Dvořák: Piano Quintet in a Major, Op. 81: Dumka
52 Brahms: String Sextet No. 2 in G Major, Op. 36
53 Brahms: String Sextet No. 1 in B Flat Major, Op. 18 - Andante Ma Moderato
54 Beethoven: String Quartets Nos. 1-16 (Complete, Inc. Grosse Fuge)
55 Dvořák: String Quartet No. 12 in F Major, Op. 96 'American'
56 Smetana: String Quartet No. 1 in E minor 'From My Life'
57 Brahms: String Sextet No. 1 in B Flat Major, Op. 18
58 Brahms: String Sextet No. 2 in G Major, Op. 36: Scherzo
59 Rihm: String Quartet No. 4 (1980 / 81)
60 Schnittke: String Quartet No. 4 (1989)
61 Berg: String Quartet, Op. 3
62 Berg: Lyric Suite - for String Quartet (1926)
63 Brahms: String Quartet No. 1 in C minor, Op. 51 No. 1
64 Brahms: String Quartet No. 2 in a Minor, Op. 51 No. 2
65 Brahms: String Quartet No. 3 in B Flat Major, Op. 67
66 Lanner: Marien, Op. 143
67 Lanner: Steyrische Tänze, Op. 165
68 Strauss, J, I: Wiener Gemüths-Walzer, Op. 116
69 Strauss, J, I: Beliebte Annen - Polka Op. 137
70 Lanner: Die Werber Op. 103
71 Strauss, J, I: Eisele Und Beisele Sprünge-Polka, Op. 202
72 Strauss, J, II: Schatz-Walzer, Op. 418
73 Strauss, J, II: Wein, Weib Und Gesang, Op. 333
74 Strauss, J, II: Kaiser-Walzer, Op. 437
75 Janáček: String Quartet No. 1 'The Kreutzer Sonata'
76 Janáček: String Quartet No. 2 'Intimate Letters'
77 Dvořák: Piano Quintet in a Major, Op. 81
78 Lutosławski: String Quartet
79 Urbanner: String Quartet No. 4 (1991-92)
80 Berio: Notturno (1993)
81 Haydn: String Quartet, Op. 76 No. 2 in D minor 'Fifths'
82 Haydn: String Quartet, Op. 76 No. 3 in C Major 'Emperor'
83 Haydn: String Quartet, Op. 76 No. 4 in B Flat Major 'Sunrise'
84 Haydn: String Quartet, Op. 76 No. 1 in G Major
85 Haydn: String Quartet, Op. 76 No. 5 in D Major
86 Haydn: String Quartet, Op. 76 No. 6 in E Flat Major
87 Haydn: String Quartet, Op. 33 No. 3 in C Major 'The Bird'
88 Haydn: String Quartet, Op. 77 No. 1 in G Major
89 Haydn: String Quartet, Op. 77 No. 2 in F Major
90 Haydn: Andante Cantabile from the Serenade Quartet in F
91 Schubert: String Quartet No. 14 in D minor, D810 'Death and the Maiden'
92 Schubert: String Quartet No. 10 in E Flat Major, D87
93 Schubert: String Quartet No. 15 in G Major, D887
94 Schubert: String Quartet No. 12 in C minor (Fragment), D703 'Quartettsatz'
95 Brahms: Clarinet Quintet in B minor, Op. 115
96 Brahms: String Quintet No. 2 in G Major, Op. 111
97 Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 12 in a Major, K414
98 Mozart: Piano Quartet No. 2 in E Flat Major, K493
99 Dvořák: String Quartet No. 10 in E Flat Major, Op. 51 (B92)
100 Dvořák: String Quartet No. 14 in a Flat Major, Op. 105 (B193)
101 Mendelssohn: String Quartet No. 1 in E Flat Major, Op. 12
102 Mendelssohn: String Quartet No. 2 in a Minor, Op. 13
103 Piazzólla: Tango Sensations (5) for Bandoneón & String Quartet
104 Arolas: El Marne
105 Cobián: Mi Refúgio
106 Caro: La Rayuela - Gran Tango Milonga - Solo Bandoneon
107 Schwertsik: Adieu Satie Op. 86
108 Piazzólla: Tristeza de Un Doble a

Beethoven: String Quartets Nos. 1-16 (complete, inc. Grosse Fuge)
DVD performance

Schubert: String Quartet No. 14 in D minor, D810 'Death and the Maiden'
DVD performance

Mozart: String Quartet No. 15 in D minor, K421
DVD performance

Berg: String Quartet, Op. 3
DVD performance

Brahms: String Quartet No. 2 in A minor, Op. 51 No. 2
DVD performance