Beethoven - String Quartet No.13 in B-flat Major, op.130

The String Quartet No. 13 in B♭ Major, op. 130, by Ludwig van Beethoven was completed (in its final form) in November 1826. The number traditionally assigned to it is based on the order of its publication; it is actually Beethoven's 14th quartet in order of composition. It was premiered (in its original form) in March 1826 by the Schuppanzigh Quartet and dedicated to Nikolai Galitzin on its publication in 1827.

Beethoven originally wrote the work in six movements, lasting 42–50 minutes, as follows:

Adagio ma non troppo – Allegro (B♭ Major) 00:00
Presto (B♭ Minor) 13:00
Andante con moto ma non troppo (D♭ Major) 14:55
Alla danza tedesca. Allegro assai (G Major) 21:43
Cavatina. Adagio molto espressivo (E♭ Major) 25:17
Große Fuge (Great Fugue for String Quartet op.133): Ouverture. Allegro – Meno mosso e moderato – Allegro – Fuga [Allegro] – Meno Mosso e moderato – Allegro molto e con brio (B♭ Major) 32:30

Negative reaction to the work's final movement at the first performance, and his publisher's urging, led Beethoven to write a substitute for the final movement, a contredanse much shorter and lighter than the enormous Große Fuge it replaced. This new finale was written in the late autumn of 1826, during a relapse into severe illness, and is the final complete piece of music Beethoven composed before his death in March 1827.

Finale: Allegro in B♭ Major 47:15

Performers: Emerson String Quartet (Eugene Drucker - violin 1; Philip Setzer - violin 2; Lawrence Dutton - viola; David Finckel - cello)
Recording: April 1994
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