Guarneri Beethoven Journey Ends at Beginning

Original album cover for the Beethoven “early” quartets (from the Amazon.com Web page for that album)

This month’s “journey” of performances by the Guarneri Quartet of the string quartets of Ludwig van Beethoven began in the “middle” and then advanced to the “late” quartets. All that remains are the six Opus 18 (“early”) quartets, composed between 1798 and 1800 on a commission from Prince Joseph Franz Maximilian Lobkowitz. There are those that assume that these works reflect the influences of by Joseph Haydn and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. While this may be the case, I have always felt that Beethoven was still determined to find his own voice.

Personally, I find more than enough opportunities to appreciate these quartets for their own merits, rather than reflecting on the influences of the “older masters.” Certainly, the interpretations provided by the Guarneri players make a strong case that Beethoven had found that voice and knew how to exercise it. From the very first quartet, whose slow movement is described as “affettuoso ed appassionato,” it is clear that Beethoven not only had his own ideas but also knew how to cultivate them. Indeed, I tend to find all the attention lavished on the later quartets to verge on pretentiousness.

The “bottom line” is that attentive listening should always be approached as a journey of discovery, regardless of “historical context.” Mind you, that context often discloses where discovery may be found; but there should always be an element of freshness to foster attention. Granted, one cannot escape the repetitive nature of any recording. Nevertheless, all of the Beethoven quartets (including the earliest of them) are rich with inventive explorations. No matter how familiar these quartets become, there will always be opportunities for new discoveries.