String Quartets Op.18/6, Op.130 & 133

"Certainly their account of Op. 130 must rank as one of the finest ever recorded, and their decision to perform the work with the Grosse Fuge as the rightful finale is fully vindicated by the overwhelming power and audacity of their interpretation." BBC Music Magazine, June 2010 *****

"This is an astonishing work performed with the greatest intensity and force. Stravinsky said the 'great fugue' was eternally modern and this performance proves him right. Unmissable if you care about what a sublime power music can become." (Keith)

Beethoven remains the ultimate test for a string quartet; with their ongoing complete cycle for Virgin Classics, the Artemis Quartet are rising to the challenge.

'The Artemis String Quartet makes chamber music spectacular: the quartet's playing is polished and precise but at the same time spontaneous, fresh and explosive as though the music is being improvised on the spot. Even the physical motions involved with the bowing are beautifully choreographed to reflect the mood of the music.' The Enquirer

The Quartet's debut release on the label in 2005 comprised Beethoven's op 59/1 and op 95, followed by the second release in 2008 in the cycle bringing together op 59/2, the 'Razumovsky' Quartet, and the Quartet op 18/4 and which also introduced the ensemble's latest members, Gregor Sigl (violin) and Friedemann Weigle (viola). The interpretations were warmly welcomed: in France, the release was named CHOC of the Year by Le Monde de la Musique and was also awarded a Diapason d'Or, while in Germany the recording was chosen as Chamber Music Recording of the Year in the the ECHO Klassik awards of the Deutsche Phono-Akademie. In the UK, the influential Sunday Times singled out the release, praising the "fresh, positive responses" of the Artemis Quartet: " … their colours are vivid and they are alert to the music's intent to push all sorts of boundaries to breaking point."