All just my personal opinion
Beethoven: String Quartet op.18/4 — comparing recordings with the following ensembles: Amadeus Quartet (1961), Artemis Quartet (2008), Emerson String Quartet (1996), Endellion String Quartet (2006), Guarneri String Quartet (1995), Hagen Quartett (1999), Melos Quartett (1983), Quartetto Italiano (1975), Quatuor Mosaïques (2004)
Beethoven: String Quartet op.18/3 — comparing recordings with the following ensembles: Amadeus Quartet (1961), Artemis Quartet (2010), Emerson String Quartet (1996), Endellion String Quartet (2005), Guarneri String Quartet (1995), Hagen Quartett (2012), Melos Quartett (1983), Quartetto Italiano (1972), Quatuor Mosaïques (2005)
Beethoven: String Quartet op.18/1 — comparing recordings with the following ensembles: Amadeus Quartet (1961), Artemis Quartet (2010), Emerson String Quartet (1996), Endellion String Quartet (2008), Guarneri String Quartet (1995), Hagen Quartett (2003), Melos Quartett (1983), Quartetto Italiano (1972), Quatuor Mosaïques (2004)
Just some fragmentary, amateurish thoughts on a complex topic of which a detailed discussion is way beyond the scope of a blog entry (I’m not qualified to provide comprehensive coverage of this topic anyway). When thinking about cultural and technological evolution since medieval times, it is common to assume / state that things happen at an exponential pace…