For the purists out there, don't get your hackles up too quickly when you see the words "Arrangements" on the same album with the words "Beethoven," "
Shostakovich," and "string quartet." The works heard on this album by the Dutch
Franciscus Quartet are indeed arrangements, but not what might typically be thought of when contemplating arrangements. In the case of Beethoven and
Shostakovich, the arrangements are in the composers' own hands. Beethoven arranged his Piano Sonata, Op. 14/1, for string quartet, and
Shostakovich made arrangements of excerpts from the opera Lady Macbeth and the ballet The Golden Age. The remaining works on the CD, by composers ranging from Haydn to
Piazzolla, are also tastefully done. Many of them were completed by friends or contemporaries of the composers. That leaves us with the performance of the
Franciscus Quartet. The sound is generally light and jovial, which works well with Beethoven and Haydn, but not so well for
Piazzolla and Haydn. From a technical standpoint, the playing is adequate, but nothing to get too excited about. Intonation is spotty at times and interpretations are somewhat bland, definitely not sufficiently powerful enough to earn any big fans for these arranged oddities. Listeners seeking something a little different might find this album moderately entertaining, but for the most part it is of minimal interest.