The Trio displays a wild and difficult violin solo, a phenomenon we find also in the trios of Opp 130 and 135.Ī slow introduction, 'La Malinconia', full of daring shifts of harmony and texture, begins the last movement. Its remarkable rhythmic disruptions could have occurred at any time in his life, and if this piece had cropped up in one of the late quartets nobody would have questioned it. One of Beethoven's most astonishing scherzos follows. This exuberant piece is followed by a soberly ornate slow movement in E fiat, with touches of mystery here and there, serving to relieve the general tone rather than to search depths. As in the A major Quartet, both halves have to be repeated if the dancelike character is to be properly stressed. Nothing could be more exhilarating than the powerfully sprang first movement with its spare textures and the abrupt and economical nature of its harmonic movement. It can with some justice be argued that the experiment is not fully successful (if it were it would be no longer an experiment) and that the final Allegretto is not quite the response called for by the extraordinary 'La Malinconia', with its amazing modulations and gripping pathos.īut the work as whole cannot lose its fascination. Beethoven was always attracted by the problems posed by strong contrasts and in the last of the Opus 18 Quartets he is trying out the possibilities of disparity of character between the movements. In the late Quartet Beethoven was almost certainly influenced by the format of the old suite with its many movements, especially when ending the work with the Grosse Fuge. But care is necessary in such comparisons. Extreme contrasts characterise the B flat Quartet, perhaps an anticipation of the great Opus 130 in the same key.
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