If you wish us to send a CD to an address other than your own please e-mail us with the full address details of the recipient, stating the CD order reference.
PACM049:
String Quartet No. 5 in A major, Op. 18 No. 5 - Beethoven
download
price
Janos Léner, violin
Jozsef Smilovits, violin
Sándor Roth, viola
Imre Hartmann, cello
Recorded in 1936, released as UK Columbia LX 611-3
Matrix Nos CAX 7821-6, all first takes
A Pristine Audio Natural Sound restoration by Andrew Rose
Download ID: 278049, 434956
(Duration
25'08")
Zipped MP3 download comes with printable covers and cue-sheet
Play
sample movement:
The Léner Quartet has become something of a legend amongst string quartets. Founded in Budapest in 1918, though based for most of their career in London, they made the first of some 450 recorded 78rpm sides in 1923. They began the first ever recorded cycle of Beethoven Quartets for Columbia in 1927, the centenary of Beethoven's death, setting the established standard for these works.
Amazingly, very few of their recordings have been restored to the catalogue; their Beethoven cycle was issued in Japan only in the late 1990's but quickly slipped back out of the catalogue. Perhaps one reason for this is hinted at in an article from the All Music Guide, which states: "By 1950, the Léner Quartet recordings, mostly made in the 1920s, must have seemed ancient by comparison as the group favored a broad, fat string tone more readily associated with arch-Romantic performance practice. Nonetheless, this is precisely why some of the Léner Quartet recordings are being revived on CD more than 50 years after they were largely regarded as obsolete artifacts belonging to a bygone era. While the Léner Quartet's approach to Classical-era literature may seem a bit too precious, the recordings of the late Beethoven quartets and works by Brahms, Dvorák, and similar repertoire directly comes from the heart of the late-Romantic idiom. This group of recordings within the extensive body of work left by the Léner Quartet represent an authoritative interpretive viewpoint on late-Romantic quartet literature and warrant revival."
I hope that this Pristine Audio Natural Sound restoration will help to put the quartet firmly back on the map of the great string quartets of the twentieth century.
Our MP3 files are encoded at at a constant rate of 320kbps for all issues since mid-August 2008, and using the LAME encoder at high variable bitrate settings for older issues.
Each recording is presented as a single, long MP3 which can be split using the CUE sheet at the bottom of the page, automatically adding track titles and other tag information.
Most modern CD writing programs such as Nero and Burrrn can write these files directly to CD with all track information added using MP3+CUE - see our tutorial
Alternatively a cue splitter program can automatically cut and name the MP3 into individual MP3 tracks
There are also media players which use the MP3+CUE system, allowing gapless playback of all long MP3 files - essential for opera and many other classical works
Save money when you buy several downloads together
Use the following discount codes in the shopping cart:
Buy 5 or more - save 10%: Code: 85187052
Buy 10 or more - save 20%: Code: 12W07104
How To Use: Once you've made your selections, copy the correct code into the space marked Discount or Coupon Code in your shopping cart, then click the Update Cart button to apply the discount before heading to the checkout.
N.B. These discounts apply to all our FLAC and MP3 downloads only. Discounts do not apply to CD purchases
Our CDs are made to order on highest quality Taiyo Yuden Watershield CD-R discs, recorded directly from our original masters.
CDs are shipped by Priority Air Mail from France. Orders over €200 qualify for free international tracked and recorded delivery.
Our worldwide shipping rates are based on total order price:
Up to €10 = €1.50
€10.01- €30 = €3.00
€30.01- €75 = €5.00
€75.01- €200 = €10.00
Over €200 = FREE
All our CDs hold the same quality of audio - the Standard €10 CD comes in a slip case with no covers, the Premium and Ambient Stereo €14 CD comes in a jewel case with printed covers.
Although we aim to provide a swift and speedy service some delays are possible at busy times, therefore please allow 3-4 weeks for delivery.
All payments are processed by PayPal, one of the world's biggest and most reliable global online payment services
You can pay by credit card directly with PayPal acting as a secure card payment processing facility. Your card details remain with PayPal and are not passed to us.
You can use a free PayPal account for quicker and easier secure payments: sign up.
We do not recommend using the e-check option for download purchases as there is always a delay of 3-4 working days between purchase and receipt of goods while the check clears
Payments are shown in Euros and will be converted to your local currency at the current exchange rate before payment is completed.
