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Top string quartet albums of all time

Separate: live, archival, soundtracks and scores
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Updated: 21 May
Average Ratings Reviews
Takács Quartet - The 6 String Quartets, Cover art
The 6 String Quartets
Béla Bartók / Takács Quartet
3.95 1k 1,471 10 10
1 December 1997 Album
Modern Classical Chamber Music
string quartet instrumental acoustic suspenseful anxious complex atmospheric dissonant
1k Ratings 10 Reviews 3.95 Average
FLUX Quartet - Feldman Edition 6: String Quartet No. 2, Cover art
Feldman Edition 6: String Quartet No. 2
Morton Feldman / FLUX Quartet
3.90 1k 1,245 23 23
2002 Album
Modern Classical Chamber Music
sparse string quartet atonal meditative instrumental acoustic hypnotic chamber music
1k Ratings 23 Reviews 3.90 Average
Takács Quartet - The Late String Quartets, Cover art
The Late String Quartets
Ludwig van Beethoven / Takács Quartet
3.95 374 374
2 November 2004 Album
Chamber Music Romanticism
Fugue
string quartet acoustic instrumental polyphonic
374 Ratings 3.95 Average
Arditti Quartet / Dawn Upshaw - Arnold Schoenberg 2: Streichquartette I-IV, Cover art
Arnold Schoenberg 2: Streichquartette I-IV
Arnold Schoenberg / Arditti Quartet / Dawn Upshaw
3.90 2k 1,530 8 8
1994 Album
Expressionism Chamber Music Serialism
string quartet complex avant-garde atonal technical acoustic anxious instrumental
2k Ratings 8 Reviews 3.90 Average
LaSalle Quartett - Neue Wiener Schule: Die Streichquartette, Cover art
Neue Wiener Schule: Die Streichquartette
Arnold Schoenberg / LaSalle Quartett
3.89 847 847 11 11
November 1971 Album
Serialism Chamber Music
Romanticism Expressionism
atonal instrumental acoustic string quartet dissonant technical avant-garde chamber music
847 Ratings 11 Reviews 3.89 Average
Kronos Quartet / Pat Metheny - Different Trains; Electric Counterpoint, Cover art
Different Trains; Electric Counterpoint
Steve Reich / Kronos Quartet / Pat Metheny
3.85 4k 3,732 39 39
3 March 1989 Album
Minimalism Chamber Music
Tape Music Post-Minimalism Chamber Music Spoken Word
war repetitive hypnotic sampling minimalistic atmospheric uncommon time signatures history
4k Ratings 39 Reviews 3.85 Average
Quatuor Arditti / Aldo Brizzi / Michiko Hirayama / Maurizio Ben Omar / Frank Lloyd - Les cinq quatuors à cordes; Trio à cordes; Khoom, Cover art
Les cinq quatuors à cordes; Trio à cordes; Khoom
Giacinto Scelsi
3.87 747 747 7 7
1990 Album
Modern Classical Chamber Music
Microtonal Classical
chamber music string quartet minimalistic avant-garde microtonal meditative sparse suspenseful
747 Ratings 7 Reviews 3.87 Average
Juilliard String Quartet - The Six String Quartets, Cover art
The Six String Quartets
Béla Bartók / Juilliard String Quartet
3.87 360 360 3 3
March 1965 Album
Chamber Music Modern Classical
string quartet instrumental acoustic anxious rhythmic complex dissonant avant-garde
360 Ratings 3 Reviews 3.87 Average
The Tale Quartet - String Quartets Nos. 1-3, Cover art
String Quartets Nos. 1-3
Alfred Schnittke Альфред Шнитке / The Tale Quartet
3.86 817 817 8 8
February 1990 Album
Chamber Music Modern Classical
Serialism
string quartet instrumental acoustic anxious atonal aggressive sombre dissonant
817 Ratings 8 Reviews 3.86 Average
Quartetto Italiano - Complete Music for String Quartet, Cover art
Complete Music for String Quartet
Anton Webern / Quartetto Italiano
3.86 302 302 4 4
1970 Album
Chamber Music Modern Classical
Serialism Romanticism Expressionism
acoustic string quartet instrumental atonal chamber music
302 Ratings 4 Reviews 3.86 Average
Emerson String Quartet - 6 String Quartets, Cover art
6 String Quartets
Béla Bartók / Emerson String Quartet
3.85 363 363 6 6
1988 Album
Modern Classical Chamber Music
string quartet acoustic instrumental chamber music dissonant
363 Ratings 6 Reviews 3.85 Average
Alban Berg Quartett - String Quartets, Cover art
String Quartets
Claude Debussy / Maurice Ravel
3.82 930 930 5 5
18 April 1986 Album
Impressionism Chamber Music
string quartet acoustic instrumental chamber music polyphonic mysterious melodic romantic
930 Ratings 5 Reviews 3.82 Average
Arditti Quartet - The Complete String Trios and Quartets, Cover art
The Complete String Trios and Quartets
Anton Webern / Arditti Quartet
3.82 774 774 5 5
1991 Album
Chamber Music Serialism
Expressionism Romanticism
dissonant string quartet atonal sparse instrumental acoustic avant-garde suspenseful
774 Ratings 5 Reviews 3.82 Average
Arditti Quartet - György Ligeti Edition 1: String Quartets and Duets, Cover art
György Ligeti Edition 1: String Quartets and Duets
György Ligeti / Arditti Quartet
3.81 446 446 1 1
21 January 1997 Album
Modern Classical Chamber Music
string quartet dissonant suspenseful instrumental sombre atmospheric avant-garde acoustic
446 Ratings 1 Reviews 3.81 Average
Alban Berg Quartett - Streichquartette / String Quartets: No. 14 "Der Tod und das Mädchen"; No. 13 "Rosamunde", Cover art
Streichquartette / String Quartets: No. 14 "Der Tod und das Mädchen"; No. 13 "Rosamunde"
Franz Schubert / Alban Berg Quartett
3.82 302 302 1 1
1985 Album
Romanticism Chamber Music
string quartet acoustic instrumental passionate chamber music melodic melancholic
302 Ratings 1 Reviews 3.82 Average
Keller Quartett - Die Kunst der Fuge, Cover art
Die Kunst der Fuge
Johann Sebastian Bach / Keller Quartett
3.80 743 743 1 1
3 June 1998 Album
Baroque Music Chamber Music Fugue
instrumental string quartet acoustic polyphonic complex sombre technical hypnotic
743 Ratings 1 Reviews 3.80 Average
Klangforum Wien / Hans Zender - Streichquartett Nr. 4; Elohim; Duo; Anagamin; Maknongan; Natura renovatur, Cover art
Streichquartett Nr. 4; Elohim; Duo; Anagamin; Maknongan; Natura renovatur
Giacinto Scelsi / Klangforum Wien / Hans Zender
3.77 365 365 4 4
2001 Album
Chamber Music Microtonal Classical Modern Classical
Drone
microtonal string quartet ominous suspenseful minimalistic instrumental dissonant
365 Ratings 4 Reviews 3.77 Average
Kronos Quartet - Kronos Quartet Performs Alfred Schnittke: The Complete String Quartets, Cover art
Kronos Quartet Performs Alfred Schnittke: The Complete String Quartets
Alfred Schnittke Альфред Шнитке / Kronos Quartet
3.79 228 228 3 3
15 May 1998 Album
Serialism Chamber Music
string quartet dark acoustic anxious chamber music instrumental ominous
228 Ratings 3 Reviews 3.79 Average
Arditti Quartet - Streichquartett Op. 3; Lyrische Suite, Cover art
Streichquartett Op. 3; Lyrische Suite
Alban Berg / Arditti Quartet
3.76 569 569 2 2
1994 Album
Chamber Music Expressionism
Serialism Romanticism
string quartet acoustic instrumental avant-garde anxious atonal complex dissonant
569 Ratings 2 Reviews 3.76 Average
Kronos Quartet - Kronos Quartet Performs Philip Glass, Cover art
Kronos Quartet Performs Philip Glass
Philip Glass / Kronos Quartet
3.74 564 564 8 8
3 February 1995 Album
Post-Minimalism Chamber Music
minimalistic string quartet instrumental avant-garde bittersweet epic uplifting acoustic
564 Ratings 8 Reviews 3.74 Average
Kroger Quartet - String Quartets 7, 8, 9 and 10, Cover art
String Quartets 7, 8, 9 and 10
Per Nørgård / Kroger Quartet
3.74 385 385 4 4
9 June 2008 Album
Chamber Music Serialism Modern Classical
string quartet acoustic instrumental dissonant ominous mysterious
385 Ratings 4 Reviews 3.74 Average
The Silesian String Quartet - Witold Szalonek, Cover art
Witold Szalonek
Witold Szalonek / The Silesian String Quartet
3.74 178 178 1 1
2003 Album
Chamber Music Sonorism
Stochastic Music
string quartet scary raw complex atonal technical noisy instrumental
178 Ratings 1 Reviews 3.74 Average
Stamic Quartet - Complete String Quartets, Cover art
Complete String Quartets
Sofia Gubaidulina София Губайдулина / Stamic Quartet
3.71 180 180 1 1
2012 Album
Modern Classical Chamber Music
instrumental string quartet acoustic atonal avant-garde atmospheric
180 Ratings 1 Reviews 3.71 Average
Kepler Quartet - String Quartets Nos. 6, 7, & 8, Cover art
String Quartets Nos. 6, 7, & 8
Ben Johnston / Kepler Quartet
3.64 375 375 3 3
15 April 2016 Album
Microtonal Classical Chamber Music
complex instrumental string quartet microtonal avant-garde technical acoustic dissonant
375 Ratings 3 Reviews 3.64 Average
Arditti Quartet - Grido; Reigen seliger Geister; Gran Torso, Cover art
Grido; Reigen seliger Geister; Gran Torso
Helmut Lachenmann / Arditti Quartet
3.65 310 310 1 1
2007 Album
Chamber Music Musique concrète instrumentale
acoustic string quartet dissonant instrumental sparse technical complex atonal
310 Ratings 1 Reviews 3.65 Average
The Arditti String Quartet - Fragmente-Stille, an Diotima; "Hay que caminar" sognando, Cover art
Fragmente-Stille, an Diotima; "Hay que caminar" sognando
Luigi Nono / The Arditti String Quartet
3.65 267 267 4 4
1991 Album
Modern Classical Chamber Music
sparse string quartet acoustic dissonant instrumental
267 Ratings 4 Reviews 3.65 Average
Gunther Schuller & Jim Hall - Jazz Abstractions, Cover art
Jazz Abstractions
Gunther Schuller & Jim Hall
3.63 327 327 4 4
November 1961 Album
Third Stream Avant-Garde Jazz
Free Jazz
avant-garde string quartet abstract cold energetic improvisation winter complex
327 Ratings 4 Reviews 3.63 Average
Zehetmair Quartett - Robert Schumann, Cover art
Robert Schumann
Robert Schumann / Zehetmair Quartett
3.66 187 187 3 3
10 February 2003 Album
Romanticism Chamber Music
acoustic instrumental string quartet
187 Ratings 3 Reviews 3.66 Average
Brian Eno - Discreet Music, Cover art
Discreet Music
Brian Eno
3.58 6k 5,542 79 79
December 1975 Album
Ambient Modern Classical
Minimalism Tape Music Baroque Music New Age Post-Minimalism
calm meditative instrumental peaceful soothing minimalistic atmospheric soft
6k Ratings 79 Reviews 3.58 Average
Kronos Quartet - Black Angels, Cover art
Black Angels
George Crumb / Kronos Quartet
3.57 502 502 14 14
29 June 1990 Album
Modern Classical Chamber Music
Sonorism Renaissance Music Electroacoustic
war scary dark disturbing string quartet chamber music dissonant ominous
502 Ratings 14 Reviews 3.57 Average
Quartetto Italiano - String Quartet in G minor / String Quartet in F major, Cover art
String Quartet in G minor / String Quartet in F major
Claude Debussy / Maurice Ravel
3.86 141 141 2 2
1966 Album
Chamber Music Impressionism
string quartet instrumental acoustic
141 Ratings 2 Reviews 3.86 Average
Arditti Quartet - Streichquartett Nr. 4 Opus 33, Cover art
Streichquartett Nr. 4 Opus 33
Horațiu Rădulescu / Arditti Quartet
3.60 287 287 2 2
2003 Album
Spectralism Chamber Music
string quartet instrumental apocalyptic atonal atmospheric microtonal avant-garde surreal
287 Ratings 2 Reviews 3.60 Average
The High Llamas - Hawaii, Cover art
Hawaii
The High Llamas
3.57 630 630 20 20
25 March 1996 Album
Chamber Pop Sunshine Pop
Baroque Pop Psychedelic Pop Progressive Pop Space Age Pop Neo-Psychedelia
summer warm melodic calm Wall of Sound lush psychedelic suite
630 Ratings 20 Reviews 3.57 Average
Kronos Quartet - Early Music (Lachrymæ antiquæ), Cover art
Early Music (Lachrymæ antiquæ)
Christopher Tye / Kronos Quartet
3.57 199 199 4 4
12 September 1997 Album
Modern Classical Medieval Classical Music
Tuvan Throat Singing Renaissance Music Medieval Classical Music
string quartet
199 Ratings 4 Reviews 3.57 Average
Arditti Quartet / Claron McFadden - Complete Works for String Quartet & Trios, Cover art
Complete Works for String Quartet & Trios
Brian Ferneyhough / Arditti Quartet / Claron McFadden
3.56 225 225 2 2
29 April 2014 Album
New Complexity Chamber Music
complex string quartet atonal technical chamber music chaotic acoustic avant-garde
225 Ratings 2 Reviews 3.56 Average
JACK Quartet - Earthing, Cover art
Earthing
Clara Iannotta / JACK Quartet
3.56 271 271 1 1
4 September 2020 Album
Chamber Music Musique concrète instrumentale
Spectralism
avant-garde dissonant scary suspenseful atonal ominous surreal chamber music
271 Ratings 1 Reviews 3.56 Average
Dave Lindholm - Aino, Cover art
Aino
Dave Lindholm
3.62 172 172 7 7
February 1982 Album
Singer-Songwriter Chamber Folk
Chamber Pop
poetic string quartet calm chamber music lush orchestral
172 Ratings 7 Reviews 3.62 Average
Balanescu Quartet - Possessed, Cover art
Possessed
Balanescu Quartet
3.54 225 225 4 4
1993 Album
Chamber Music Modern Classical
Post-Minimalism Synthpop
string quartet acoustic lush energetic quirky instrumental repetitive futuristic
225 Ratings 4 Reviews 3.54 Average
Attacca Quartet - Orange, Cover art
Orange
Caroline Shaw / Attacca Quartet
3.50 349 349 4 4
19 April 2019 Album
Modern Classical Chamber Music
Post-Minimalism
warm chamber music instrumental mellow minimalistic acoustic melodic string quartet
349 Ratings 4 Reviews 3.50 Average
Arditti Quartet - String Quartets 1-3, Cover art
String Quartets 1-3
Friedrich Cerha / Arditti Quartet
3.64 169 169 1 1
1999 Album
Serialism Chamber Music
Microtonal Classical
string quartet acoustic instrumental
169 Ratings 1 Reviews 3.64 Average
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Soundtracks

  • Philip Glass - Mishima, Cover art
    Mishima
    1985 Album
    1k Ratings 10 Reviews 3.94 Average
    3.94 1k 1,437 10 10
  • Dresdner Philharmonie / London Contemporary Orchestra / London Symphony Orchestra / Cate Blanchett / Sophie Kauer / Hildur Guðnadóttir - TÁR, Cover art
    TÁR
    2022 Album
    133 Ratings 3.54 Average
    3.54 133 133
  • Ben Houge - Arcanum: Of Steamworks & Magick Obscura, Cover art
    Arcanum: Of Steamworks & Magick Obscura
    2001 Album
    132 Ratings 3 Reviews 3.63 Average
    3.63 132 132 3 3
  • Vincent Delerm - La vie très privée de monsieur Sim, Cover art
    La vie très privée de monsieur Sim
    2015 Album
    8 Ratings 3.14 Average
    3.14 8 8
  • Le Quatuor Athenaeum Enesco / Vladimir Cosma - Le souper : le vice au bras du crime, Cover art
    Le souper : le vice au bras du crime
    1992 Album
    2 Ratings 3.00 Average
    3.00 2 2
    • See all 7 Include in main chart

    Live

  • Emerson String Quartet - The String Quartets, Cover art
    The String Quartets
    2006 Album
    242 Ratings 4 Reviews 4.10 Average
    4.10 242 242 4 4
  • Charly García - Hello! MTV Unplugged, Cover art
    Hello! MTV Unplugged
    1995 Album
    433 Ratings 8 Reviews 3.96 Average
    3.96 433 433 8 8
  • Nikos Veliotis / Taku Sugimoto / 木下和重 [Kazushige Kinoshita] / Taku Unami - カルテット (Quartet), Cover art
    カルテット (Quartet)
    2005 Album
    715 Ratings 10 Reviews 3.23 Average
    3.23 715 715 10 10
  • Evergrey - A Night to Remember (Live 2004), Cover art
    A Night to Remember (Live 2004)
    2005 Album
    154 Ratings 3 Reviews 3.65 Average
    3.65 154 154 3 3
  • Alban Berg Quartett - String Quartets, Cover art
    String Quartets
    1995 Album
    99 Ratings 1 Reviews 3.76 Average
    3.76 99 99 1 1
    • See all 21 Include in main chart

    Archival

  • Quatuor Mosaïques - String Quartets Opus 77, Cover art
    String Quartets Opus 77
    2000 Album
    54 Ratings 4.06 Average
    4.06 54 54
  • Квартет имени Танеева [The Taneyev Quartet] - Complete String Quartets, Volume One, Cover art
    Complete String Quartets, Volume One
    2012 Album
    23 Ratings 3.62 Average
    3.62 23 23
  • Quatuor Mosaïques - Les sept dernières paroles de notre rédempteur sur la croix, Cover art
    Les sept dernières paroles de notre rédempteur sur la croix
    2004 Album
    15 Ratings 3.50 Average
    3.50 15 15
  • Arturo Ruiz del Pozo - Composiciones Nativas, Cover art
    Composiciones Nativas
    2015 Album
    16 Ratings 3.15 Average
    3.15 16 16
  • Quatuor Mosaïques - String Quartets Opus 18 Nos. 5 & 6, Cover art
    String Quartets Opus 18 Nos. 5 & 6
    2005 Album
    5 Ratings 3.99 Average
    3.99 5 5
    • See all 9 Include in main chart
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