The
Doric String Quartet
has a large catalog of mostly Classical-era music, but the group has waited for some time to take on
Beethoven
. The group's care shows in this first installment of its
cycle, which enters a very crowded marketplace but made classical best-seller charts during the holiday season of 2023. The quartet manages to convey an overall outlook that varies in its application to individual quartets. The overall outlook is an emphasis on Romantic and proto-Romantic traits in
's quartets, but this can mean various things. The two quartets from the
Op. 18 set
look to
Schubert
, with quick dancelike rhythms and an end-heavy
Op. 18, No. 6
, with its big chromatic slow introduction in the finale. The set will apparently contain early, middle, and late quartets on each release, and here, the middle quartets are represented by the
String Quartet in F major, Op. 59, No. 1
, and the dense
String Quartet in F minor, Op. 95 ("Serioso")
. The latter does not get the storm-and-stress treatment one might expect from the quick tempos in the earlier quartets on the album; the group lets the music's chromaticism and concentration speak for themselves. Things broaden out still more in the late
String Quartet in E flat major, Op. 127
, which clocks in several minutes slower than average. The big slow movement is serious and mysterious, but there are moments of humor as well, notably at the end. All in all, these are exceptionally sensitive and varied readings with a strong melodic touch, and one looks forward to future volumes in the series. ~ James Manheim