Beethoven 4 Strings: Part V

Beethoven rarely titled his works… … so when he scribbled «Quartetto Serioso» on the manuscript of N° 11, he clearly meant it. It’s short, fierce and unapologetically intense – closer to a musical fist than a polite conversation. The Belcea Quartet surround it with two contrasting pieces: the early N° 3, where you can already hear Beethoven testing what a string quartet can do, and the second «Rasumovsky» Quartet, whose slow movement is so hypnotic it practically suspends time. A concert that shows you just how wide Beethoven’s emotional range really was.