Razumovsky Quartets played by THE BROSA STRING QUARTET:
Antonio Brosa (violin) ; Norman Chappie (violin); Leonard Rubens (viola) ; Livio Mannucci (violoncello) String Quartet in E minor (Op. 59,
No. 2)
I. Allegro ; 2. Molto adagio
' If one may say that Haydn created the String Quartet as an art form ', says Joseph de Marliave in his monumental volume on Beethoven's Quartets, ' Beethoven achieved even greater attainment than his predecessor in the quartets of Op. 59, revealing the expressive capacity latent in the genre to an extent never dreamed of by earlier musicians. It is for this reason primarily that these three quartets have so deep a significance. Beethoven's mature period of creative work is characterised by two main features, first, the prime importance of the musical idea, secondly, the ' construction of the development..... The quality underlying the Op. 59 quartets is their psychological objectivity. Although he possessed an inexhaustible source of inspiration within himself, Beethoven here portrays objectively the joys and sorrows of the outside world. If one compares Op. 59 with the Op. 127 quartet from this aspect the contrast is immediately apparent. In Op. 59 he gives to the world a proof of his limitless capacity for expression, within the compass of the four lines of melody ; but in the later quartets he writes in pure introspective revelation, caring little whether the world understands him or not