String Quartet F major op. 135-Beethoven’s Op. 135 one of the last works he composed is equally famous for its compositional clarity and for the inadequacy of previous editions. The problem lies in the surviving sources forBeethoven’s autograph score contains a great many contradictions compared to his autograph set of parts. In 1827 after Beethoven’s death the German publisher of the first edition posthumously ironed out thesediscrepancies as he saw fit and later editions simply adopted his interventions. Rainer Cadenbach’s volume is the first attempt to produce an authoritative text for Op. 135. Beethoven’s contradictoryformulations are laid bare allowing musicians to make their own decisions.

String Quartet in C-sharp minor op. 131. Many anecdotes surround String Quartet op. 131: Beethoven is said to have considered it to be his finest quartet and of his late period works, the one dearest to his heart. It is also believed that the composer invested so much of himself in it: his ailing health, the social isolation brought about by his deafness and the suicide attempt of his nephew Karl. In addition it was reported that Franz Schubert asked to hear this piece once more on his deathbed. Even if these anecdotes are not all true, they reveal what generations of musicians felt they heard in this quartet: Beethoven?s most personal musical idiom and a vulnerable message from the final period of his life. This new edition by Jonathan Del Mar represents a thorough revision of this highly complex work. Meticulously incorporated are Beethoven?s pencil markings that were previously almost completely ignored.

Par BEETHOVEN LUDWIG VAN. Beethoven completed his String Quartet Op.135 at Wasserdorf Castle in Gneixenhof, where he sought to recuperate with his nephew Karl after the latter?s failed suicide attempt in summer 1826. It stands out among his late quartets owing to the often cheerful, almost pastoral character of its four movements. Since Beethoven?s death it has often been interpreted as an attempt to take wise and positive stock of the mishaps that had befallen him in the preceding years regarding his life situation, family and health. This interpretation is strongly suggested by the final movement, ?Der schwer gefasste Entschluss? (The Difficult Decision), with its motto ?Must it be? It must be! It must be!? The editing of this quartet proved especially complex, for the authentic sources were reworked at various stages by the composer. By judiciously assessing them, editor Jonathan Del Mar has managed to clarify many anomalies found in previous editions. - Beethoven?s final string quartet with many new readings - Introduction by Misha Donat (Eng/Ger), editor?s foreword by Jonathan Del Mar (Eng/Ger) and a scrupulous, separately published Critical Commentary (Eng) / Date parution : 2022-07-30/ Répertoire / Quatuor à Cordes

String Quartet in a minor op. 132-The heart of Beethoven?s Quartet op.132 is the ?Holy song of thanksgiving? in which Beethoven takes up old counterpoint techniques and Gregorian simplicity. In this unusuallybeautiful and well preserved manuscript Beethoven generously makes the most of the space on its pages. The lavish four colour printing allows the composer?s occasionally unconventional manner of notation to come to life. Itpermits a unique insight into the creative process which continued after it had been written down in the form of multiple additions and changes. The edition is rounded off with a preface by the pianist András Schiff withwhose generous support this valuable facsimile was made possible.

The E-Flat Major String Quartet Op. 127 is a key work not only in Beethoven’s oeuvre but in the entire history of the genre. The first of the late quartets it 'transfers the formal and symbolicaspects of his two major works for Chorus and Orchestra [the Missa solemnis and the Ninth Symphony] to the more intimate domain of chamber music' (William Kinderman). For years music lovers have been waiting for a new editionbased on the scholarly text from the new Beethoven Gesamtausgabe. The wait has paid off! The highly complex source situation was examined for the first time and thus Beethoven’s 'final intentions' are nowavailable in an urtext edition. The set of parts (HN 740) and the score (HN 9740) both come with a detailed preface and editorial notes.