String Quartets Op. 59, 74, 95

The five string quartets in this volume are generally designated as Beethoven’s middle quartets, even though stylistically they do not all build a closed unit. More than three years lie between the inception of the three quartets op. 59 (1806) and the quartet op. 74 (1809/10). In the quartets op. 59, Beethoven sprinkled several Russian folksong themes – an homage to Prince Razumovsky, who had commissioned the works.This is why the pieces are often called the Russian Quartets. The next quartet, op. 74 in E flat major, was also given a nickname: thanks to extended pizzicato passages in the first movement, it is frequently called the Harp Quartet. The F minor Quartet op. 95, in turn, bears the autograph title Quartett serioso. All five quartets are mature masterworks which demand high interpretative and technical mastery.

Additional Information

SKU: 51480268
UPC: 884088174644
Series: Henle Music Folios
Page Count: 246
Contributors: (ed. Paul Mies)