"Het Fine Arts Quartet speelt met een ouderwets elan. Hun vakmanschap en speelmanier roept herinneringen op aan de grote strijkkwartetten van de vorige eeuw. Daarmee maken zij deze zeldzaamheden tot ‘gewoon’ geniale kwartetmuziek van Beethoven". (Machiel Swillens, Luister, September 2022)
"The Fine Arts Quartet plays with an old-fashioned elan. Their craftsmanship and way of playing evoke memories of the great string quartets of the last century. In doing so, they turn these rarities into 'simply' brilliant quartet music by Beethoven. (Machiel Swillens, Luister, September 2022)
Empfehlungen der Redaktion
"Das Fine Arts Quartet überzeugt in seiner neuer Beethoven-CD vom ersten Takt an durch große Frische, Klarheit und Durchhörbarkeit, durch kluge kontrapunktische Ausarbeitung und fein ausgehörtes Zusammenspiel...Der beherzte Zugriff des Fine Arts Quartet vermeidet aber jeden auch nur leisen Gedanken an trockenen Akademismus, vielmehr ist die kontrapunktische Kunst nicht nur Beethovens, sondern nicht minder jene der Streichquartettmusiker unmittelbar zu erleben. Das Programm endet mit...der Großen Fuge B-Dur op. 133, das die Musiker in großer Tiefe durchdringen...zeigt die große Kunst der Quartettmusiker. Dabei erfolgt keinerlei Glättung der kontrapunktischen Strukturen, vielmehr werden die einzelnen Stimmen wie auch ihre Interaktion untereinander in großer Klarheit und mit viel Verständnis... Ein wesentlicher Beitrag zum Beethoven-Jahr." (Dr. Jürgen Schaarwächter, Klassik.com, 23-03-2020) https://magazin.klassik.com/reviews/reviews.cfm?TASK=REVIEW&RECID=35847&REID=18797
Critics' Choice "The Fine Arts Quartet convinces in its new Beethoven CD from the first bar with great freshness, clarity and audibility, through clever contrapuntal elaboration and finely listened to interplay ... The courageous approach of the Fine Arts Quartet avoids even the slightest thought of dry Academism, rather, the counterpoint art is not only to be experienced directly by Beethoven, but no less by that of the string quartet musicians. The program ends with...the Great Fugue in B flat major, op. 133, which the musicians penetrate deeply ...shows the great art of quartet musicians. There is no smoothing of the counterpoint structures, rather the individual voices and their interaction with one another are presented with great clarity and understanding...An essential contribution to the Beethoven year." (Dr. Jürgen Schaarwächter, Klassik.com, 23-03-2020)
"The string quartets are among the finest works in music, but Beethoven composed other works for quartet which have been overlooked—such as the rarities found here. We have the original versions of his quartets Op. 18, No. 1 and Op. 131, plus six unknown miniatures, including his Preludes and Fugues. All are impeccably played by the Fine Arts Quartet." (Barry Forshaw, Classical CD Choice, February 2020)
"The Fine Arts Quartet in their most elegant mode...The Grosse Fuge...is one of the greatest fugues ever composed, and the Fine Arts afford it a performance of considerable strength and vigour, the complex construction captured with clarity as each instrument is weighted with due care and attention."
(David Denton,David's Review Corner, January 2020)
"De Strijkkwartetten van Beethoven behoren tot de grootste werken in hun genre, maar hij componeerde ook andere werken voor kwartet die werden verwaarloosd. Deze cd is gewijd aan deze intrigerende zeldzaamheden...Op deze nieuwe opname is het Fine Arts Quartet in hun meest elegante doen...Het is een van de grootste fuga’s die ooit zijn gecomponeerd en Fine Arts biedt een uitvoering van aanzienlijke kracht. De complexe constructie werd met helderheid vastgelegd omdat elk instrument met de nodige zorg en aandacht werd behandeld en het vermijdt een te nuchtere benadering." "The Fine Arts Quartet is at their most elegant in this new recording...The Grosse Fuge is one of the greatest fugues ever composed, and Fine Arts offers a performance of considerable power. The complex construction was captured with clarity as each instrument was treated with due care and attention and it avoids an overly sober approach." (Michel Dutrieue, Stretto, January 2020)
"No performances I’ve heard of any of these pieces surpass these performances by the venerable Fine Arts Quartet.…I can heartily recommend the Fine Arts Quartet as the chef de cuisine." (Jerry Dubin, Fanfare, July 2020)
"Charme und Intensität: Neue Einspielungen vom Fine Arts Quartet und von der Cappella Aquileia machen das Beethoven-Jahr zu einem Vergnügen." (Wolfgang Schreiber, Süddeutsche Zeitung, 3.August 2020) https://www.sueddeutsche.de/kultur/neue-cds-klassikkolumne-1.4987554
5 STARS: "El Fine Arts Quartet rinde su particular homenaje al genio de Bonn con una grabación discográfica...con una elegancia, una claridad, un cuidado y una atención impecables." (María del Ser, Ritmo, May 2020)
"Las otras ocho piezas son muy interesantes (preludios, fugas, allegrettos) pero el más sólido es una Grosse Fugue, auténtica exhibición de bravura del estupendo cuarteto americano." (Scherzo, May 2020)
“Os músicos do Fine Arts Quartet, tradicional conjunto norte-americano cuja primeira formação remete à década de 1940, sabem disso e oferecem neste disco uma leitura de alta voltagem da peça. O CD, no entanto, vai além em seu conceito: além da Grande fuga, os músicos registraram algumas raridades: as versões originais dos Quartetos no. 1 op. 18 e op. 131, assim como seis miniaturas que raramente são ouvidas, incluindo prelúdios e fugas. O resultado é um álbum que, nos 250 anos do compositor, mostra algumas de suas facetas ocultas, revelando também novos olhares para uma de suas peças mais conhecidas.” (Revista Concerto, October 2020)