Ludwig van Beethoven - String Quartet No. 16, Op. 135

— Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven (17 December 1770 -- 26 March 1827)
— Performers: Alban Berg Quartett
— Year of recording: 1981

String Quartet No. 16 in F major, Op. 135, written in 1826.

00:00​ - I. Allegretto
06:22​ - II. Vivace [Scherzo]
09:50​ - III. Lento assai e cantante tranquillo
17:39​ - IV. Grave ma non troppo tratto - Allegro ("Der schwer gefasste Entschluss")

Beethoven wrote the bulk of this, his final quartet, in a two-month burst of activity amid health problems and shortly after his nephew Karl attempted to commit suicide. But there's not a hint of self-pity or anguish in this compact, good-natured work. For Beethoven's valedictory composition, this quartet is surprisingly small-scaled, finding inspiration in the quartets of Beethoven's one-time teacher Haydn.

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