Presented by Leo Samama.
Five years after the quartets opus 18 were completed, Beethoven started a new series, this time of three. In the intermediate years it became clear to him that his hearing had deteriorated greatly. He even considered suicide in 1802. But in a long letter to his brothers, the well-known Heiligenstädter Testament, he decided to hold on. Henceforth he decided to be a philosopher. He would pull himself up and exalt his audience with exalted music. The tone in the new quartets from 1806 is indeed different, the intent vaster and the stratification often more complex.
Beethoven 2
Beethoven – Quartet in F, Opus 59:1
1 Allegro – 2. Allegretto vivace e sempre scherzando – 3. Adagio molto e mesto – 4. Thème Russe (Allegro)
Performers: Hagen Quartett
CD: DGG
Beethoven – Quartet in C, Opus 59:3 (first part)
Andante con moto. Allegro vivace
Performers: Brodsky Quartet
CD: Decca
