Beethoven's Op.132 may be my favorite piece of music, and Op.131 is not far behind. Over the decades I've searched far and wide for the ultimate Op.132 by purchasing the usual suspects (Talich Qt., Vegh, Takacs, Busch, Brandis, Alban Berg Qt, etc.), and while many other recordings have much to recommend, they inevitably fail in one or more crucial areas. Of course, "fail" is relative here since many of these other recordings are quite good, however, I've spent a decent amount of money and time looking for that "perfect" Op.132. Op.131 has enjoyed much more success in the recording studio than 132. When I heard this recording my search ended in triumphant ecstasy; no need to look further. Perfection! The brooding, searching, imploring, tension-filled first movement is played as well as one could wish for. The tempo, tone, balance, intonation and overall musicianship are spot on, and one is instantly brought into both Beethoven's and the Quartetto Italiano's sound world and musical vision. Absolutely compelling! The second mvmt is finally played in the manner I prefer: As a quick, relatively light intermezzo-like breath of air, which serves as a welcoming contrast to the emotionally heavy music in mvmt's 1 and 3. I cannot stand the slow, ponderous tempo which most quartets prefer here. It just seems that the Qt. Italiano have a better grasp of the entirety of the score. Of course, this leads to the ethereal slow movement. Words cannot do it justice. You either "get" this music or you don't. I wonder if the people who don't care for the third mvmt. have a soul. Yes, this is soul music, and it would be a challenge to find greater soul music. If this doesn't bring you to tears...well, obviously I love it. This is a long, slow reading, about as long as the Busch Qt's legendary recording, which is about 20 minutes. Why the nod over the Busch Qt? The quality of the audio cannot be ignored here. The Busch Qt. might have been my #1 Op.132, however, the very old equipment used to capture those historical performances creates chaos with the sound of the intonation. The very good audio of the Qt. Italiano allows one to hear the absolute commitment these musicians bring to this emotional, beautiful, resilient, and ultimately triumphant third mvmt. without any distractions caused by poor audio or intonation. It takes extremely talented musicians to hold this music together and keep it compelling with such a slow tempo (much like the Hammerklavier Sonata's slow mvmt.), yet the Q.I. pull it off. I've noticed that many, if not most, of the other celebrated quartets play the slow mvmt. much quicker; perhaps they realize the difficulties of achieving what the Qt. Italiano and Busch Qt. did. After what I call the "fake" finale, the real finale kicks in and is played in a manner which will get under your skin and both haunt and motivate you, at least in a good way. Beethoven's resilient return and willingness to fight is fully realized here. A clear #1 Op.132!Of course, the complex triumph of Op.131 is also given a very good performance here. I slightly prefer the Takacs Qt. and their rustic, aggressive approach to the finale and the 5th mvmt. presto, however, the Qt. Italiano provide a bit of a more natural, organic approach to the work as a whole, and the long 4th mvmt. variations, as well as the first mvmt., benefit greatly from this approach. It's nothing to sneeze at and makes an excellent bonus to the mother of all Op.132's! This double disc easily makes it to that mythical desert island.