for string quartet, in B-flat major, Op. 133 (1825)

Mega Oenos – Grosse Fuge

What connects these two creations? – apart from the rare fact that both began their existence with the designation great and did not acquire it along the way – and neither was it ever disputed! Seemingly so different from each other, the first was hailed and loved as something great from the very beginning, while the other was ridiculed as incomprehensible and difficult. But there is also a second common element: in both, their creator wanted and succeeded in making something new and magnificent.

The Grosse Fuge or fugue (since the term comes from Greek) is considered perhaps Beethoven’s most complex work. It was originally written as the fourth and final movement of the String Quartet No. 13. in B-flat major, Op. 130. The reception from the audience and critics at the premiere was so troubled and negative that Beethoven’s publisher asked the composer to write a new finale for the quartet, with which it is played to this day, and to publish the Grosse Fuge as an autonomous work. Beethoven surprisingly accepted without any objection, perhaps because he was aware that his fugue was a work in itself.

It is even said that he himself did not even attend the premiere and waited for news of the concert in a nearby tavern – we don’t know if he was drinking beer or wine. When he learned from the second violinist that the other movements of the quartet were enthusiastically received, and indeed the performers were forced to repeat the second and third movements, but not the fourth, Beethoven characterized the audience as Oxen and donkeys. Even distinguished composers of the era were unable to comprehend the piece.

Since then, the Grosse Fuge slowly began to gain general appreciation, and in the 20th century, personalities like Igor Stravinsky expressed their boundless admiration for the complex musical achievement. It seems that in art, especially in music, as with wine, pieces are amenable to aging; sometimes, aging is absolutely necessary and takes a little longer, until the works reach a phase where the public can consume them. Simply put, in artistic aging, it is the audience that matures, not the work.

Just as Mega Oenos consists of two varieties, so too does the Grosse Fuge have two themes. The Grosse Fuge is a… fugue that is great in duration (over fifteen minutes) and in conception. It is a fact that it is an exceptionally complex and demanding work to listen to. A glass of Mega Oenos will keep your other senses pleasantly occupied and psychologically help you survive until the end. The first sip can be shocking. Consider your wine and wait to reach the aftertaste.

The Grosse Fuge was written during a period when Beethoven (1770-1827) composed exclusively quartets, known as late quartets, between 1825-1826, after which he completed no other work. These are the last five quartets which, along with the Grosse Fuge and its alternative version for two pianos, consecutively occupy numbers 127 to 135 in his catalog of works. This continuity is interrupted only by two older works that simply happened to be published at that time. It is worth getting to know them as a whole and immersing oneself in their mystical, transcendental world.

Among the many great recordings of Beethoven’s late quartets, I personally find that of the Quartetto Italiano stands out, having recorded all his quartets between 1967-75. In their interpretation, one finds the ideal balance of clarity, intensity, and depth. Especially in the Grosse Fuge, the articulation of the initial two small notes is exemplary.