Although the 32 piano sonatas of Ludwig van Beethoven are the cornerstone of Western classical music, the 16 string quartets form a more succinct encapsulation of the history of this music’s journey from ordered enlightenment to kaleidoscopic emotion.

Ironically, it was the great man’s deafness that stimulated the wholesale change in the listening habits of the entire 19th century, which began by defining music as an entertainment worthy of cursory attention at best and ended by elevating the art form to the apex of the cultural pedestal. When Gustav Mahler locked the doors and turned off the lights at the Vienna Opera in the 1890s, forbidding patrons to chat with their neighbors and wander in and out haphazardly, he was only taking to its logical conclusion the inner-directedness launched by the late Beethoven quartets.

Whereas the last symphony of Beethoven led directly to the best efforts of Brahms, Bruckner, and Mahler, the late quartets – like the final three piano sonatas — lead only to philosophical and artistic cul-de-sacs. It is interesting to speculate what would have happened in music history if Mozart, Schubert, or Berg had lived a longer life, but there is no such doubt regarding Beethoven. Any further output would have simply been all the more personal.

The third program in the month-long traversal of the complete quartets sponsored by the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center featured an alpha-omega look at the 2+. For this concert, the venerable Takacs ensemble – violinists Edward Dusinberre and Karoly Schranz, violist Roger Tapping, and cellist Andras Fejer – offered numbers four and five of opus 18, the set of six which marks the beginning of the journey. They also delivered that most profound of all, the 15th quartet, the A Minor Op. 132, which is the culmination of the series in a very real sense because its successor – and last enumerated work – is a bit of a throwback.

These performers are master craftsmen, and listening to them build the majestic edifice that is the molto adagio of this great summation of chamber music thought was a privilege. Each soft utterance was enunciated clearly, each subtle layer expertly applied to the emerging, organic whole, each whisper eloquent. The construction of this masterpiece was perfect – too perfect, in fact.

Since this music is so arresting, I found myself riveted but, from an emotional point of view, not engaged. Two conflicting thoughts held sway: First, the music is so great that to recite it verbatim is more than enough; second, that without a sense of humanity, the experience of such high art is meaningless. For all of their technical wizardry, these performers lack the ability to communicate the core of this amazing work.

The 15th should leave its listener breathless, contemplative, contrite, absolved. I left Alice Tully Hall feeling impressed by the musicians rather than transformed by the music.

The fifth quartet, which opened the program, was not technically flawless but did convey a sense of the delicacy of the piece and the period as a whole. The minuet was notable for decidedly exaggerated accents, the sort of dance variation that would drive a period-instrument scholar to distraction. But for those of us who feel a score is a living, breathing entity, adaptable to the tastes and sensibilities of its audience, it was fine to make it swing a little.

In the lovely andante cantabile, the tone of the group was not always consistent and there were several instances of lagging entrances and exits. It was somehow refreshing to hear that even these experts can occasionally make a slight mistake.

Beethoven famously stated that he had learned nothing from Haydn, but the narrative nature of the C Minor, Op. 18, No. 4 puts the lie to that notion. Sounding very much like the child of Papa’s “Hunt” Quartet or perhaps one of those purposefully dissonant horn pieces of Leopold Mozart, this was the 18th century’s version of the escapist cinema of our own day, telling an adventure story in sound painting.

The Takacs group really dug into the gallops, twists, and turns, producing the best performance of the evening. Perhaps it is the very lack of emotional reflection itself that made this particular work so exciting in these experienced hands. Relying more on solid playing and coloristic effect, with the disciplined art of the technician paramount, this early quartet earned for its performers the heartiest and most justifiably deserved applause of the night.

The Takacs Quartet will perform all of Beethoven’s string quartets this month at Alice Tully Hall. The remaining performances are January 28 at 8 p.m. & January 30 at 5 p.m. (Lincoln Center, 212-875-5788).