The String Quartets
Album by Béla Bartók & Tokyo String Quartet
The String Quartets are a cycle of six string quartets by Hungarian composer Béla Bartók, composed between 1908 and 1939. The works blend folk-derived melodies, extended string techniques and modernist harmonic and rhythmic language, charting Bartók's development from late-Romantic influences toward a more austere, rhythmically driven modernism that has been influential within 20th-century chamber music.
First released: 1981

Tracklist
- 1.String Quartet no. 1, Sz. 40, op. 7: 1. Lento — attacca8:00
- 2.String Quartet no. 3, Sz. 85: 1. Prima parte. Moderato — attacca:4:53
- 3.String Quartet no. 1, Sz. 40, op. 7: 2. Poco a poco accelerando all’Allegretto — Introduzione. Allegro — attacca8:27
- 4.String Quartet no. 3, Sz. 85: 2. Seconda parte. Allegro — attacca: Ricapitulazione della prima parte. Moderato8:41
- 5.String Quartet no. 1, Sz. 40, op. 7: 3. Allegro vivace12:01
- 6.String Quartet no. 3, Sz. 85: 3. Coda. Allegro molto1:43
- 7.String Quartet no. 2, Sz. 17, op. 17: 1. Moderato11:33
- 8.String Quartet no. 5, Sz. 102: 1. Allegro7:31
- 9.String Quartet no. 2, Sz. 17, op. 17: 2. Allegro molto capriccioso8:33
- 10.String Quartet no. 5, Sz. 102: 2. Adagio molto5:57
- 11.String Quartet no. 5, Sz. 102: 3. Scherzo. Alla bulgarese5:17
- 12.String Quartet no. 2, Sz. 17, op. 17: 3. Lento9:14
- 13.String Quartet no. 5, Sz. 102: 4. Andante5:19
- 14.String Quartet no. 4, Sz. 91: 1. Allegro5:55
- 15.String Quartet no. 4, Sz. 91: 2. Prestissimo, con sordino2:56
- 16.String Quartet no. 5, Sz. 102: 5. Finale. Allegro vivace7:15
- 17.String Quartet no. 6, Sz. 144: 1. Mesto — Più mosso, pesante – Vivace7:38
- 18.String Quartet no. 4, Sz. 91: 3. Non troppo lento5:51
- 19.String Quartet no. 6, Sz. 144: 2. Mesto — Marcia8:22
- 20.String Quartet no. 4, Sz. 91: 4. Allegretto pizzicato2:57
- 21.String Quartet no. 4, Sz. 91: 5. Allegro molto5:45
- 22.String Quartet no. 6, Sz. 144: 3. Mesto — Burletta7:30
- 23.String Quartet no. 6, Sz. 144: 4. Mesto6:56