Sibelius Grieg String Quartets by Guarneri Quartet
Miró Quartet ~ This odd little quartet seems to exist in a rift in a space-time music continuum between Schubertian Romanticism and 1920s Modernism.I'm the only known fan of some of these works, so listen at your own risk. I recommend Guarneri, Cleveland and Busch Quartet recordings.These quartets aren't necessarily all that far off the beaten path, but they don't get much mention around here, so I decided to bring them up for consideration anyhow. Of course, the rest of the late quartets are amazing too, notably the Heiliger Dankgesang from the Op. I first heard this piece in a great live performance with the Mendelssohn String Quartet with Miriam Fried as first violin.incredible. Listening to this piece can really change how you hear music.
The alternate ending brings the piece to a different world- it is almost operatic as if he wanted to continue where the Cavatina left of.
Here we see Beethoven mold a synergy with old traditions and foreshadowing new traditions imparting extremely dissonant harmonies that surely resonated long after his death. The Grosse Fuge is a Beethoven's testament to the Baroque. The "beklemmt" section of the Cavatina is one of the most original and captivating novelties in all music. Beethoven said himself that the Cavatina brought himself to tears when he thought of it in his head. I love the six movement form: the ingenious sonata form first movement is sublime and scintillating at the same time with his trademark slow-fast introductions and the four "character" pieces that follow are incredible, most notably the Alla danza Tedesca and the Cavatina. I would have to say Beethoven's Opus 130 quartet with either the Grosse Fuge or the alternate ending.