Sea beach with fisherman (The fisherman), by Caspar David Friedrich (1807)

String Quartet no.7 in F major Op.59/1 ‘Razumovsky’ (1806, Beethoven aged 35)

Dedication Count (later Prince) Andrey Kirillovich Razumovsky
Duration 40’

1.Allegro
2.Allegretto vivace e sempre scherzando
3.Adagio molto e mesto – attacca
4.Thème Russe: Allegro

Listen

written by Ben Hogwood

Background and Critical Reception

In 1801, Beethoven published his first group of string quartets, the six quartets Op.18 confirming his prowess in yet another form of music – while suggesting he had the potential to take this form much further.

Just five years on, that potential was realised in dramatic fashion through a set of three substantial string quartets dedicated to the Russian ambassador in Vienna, Count Andreas Razumovsky. The new works were nearly half as long again as the Op.18 set, and showed many ways in which the string quartet was challenging the boundaries of its very form.

To help communicate his new ideas Beethoven had at his disposal the violinist Ignaz Schuppanzigh, in the words of the Grove Dictionary “the first musician in history to make his main reputation as a chamber-music specialist”. Jan Swafford notes how “this portly, silly-looking violinist was the indispensable partner in Beethoven’s remaking of the medium…Schuppanzigh and his men allowed Beethoven to take quartets wherever he wanted to go with them.”

It is thought Beethoven wrote the three Razumovsky quartets between April and November 1806. They are, as Swafford observes, ‘the most symphonic quartets to that time, harder on both players and listeners than any quartet before’.

Several commentators liken the impact of the first quartet in the set to that of the Eroica symphony. There are musical parallels for sure – the elevation of the cello to take on the first theme, the resolute and optimistic mood of the first movement, the willingness to stretch the structure like never before, pushing the tolerance of players and audiences.

Thoughts

The cello’s heightened role is immediately evident as the instrument leads of with the main theme – not just any theme, but an expressive, lyrical one giving it a whole new importance in the quartet. Nor is the theme dissimilar to the first movement of the Eroica, though the mood is less bullish.

There is an assurance about Beethoven’s writing, a kind of inner serenity as the musical dialogue unfolds, and also a sense that the real drama is still to come. His writing is so fluent in the first movement, each melody seemingly inevitable and with a really strong sense of unity between the quartet members. The middle of the movement becomes more mysterious, the first violin with a figuration suggesting a bird on the wing as the other quartet members engage in dialogue of the theme.

The second movement begins with a remarkably innocuous statement on the cello, a single note rhythmic figure – but of course Beethoven makes something distinctive out of it, like a subtle but insistent knocking on the door. By the time the full quartet play it, we have a fully fledged tune and enough energy to power the whole of the scherzo. The music then goes for a ‘wander’, Beethoven exploring all manner of far flung tonal areas with an appealing wit. The rhythmic and melodic figures with which the movement began are always kept in mind, however, and before we know it the original key has returned.

The slow movement is very solemn, sorrowful even, its theme played mournfully by the first violin on a supportive bed of thick harmony. Yet there is strength in that supporting playing, which comes through in powerful dialogue between the violins and a touching elegiac theme on viola. There is a very tender passage halfway through, beautiful but tinged with sadness in D flat major before working its way back.

The slow movement leads beautifully into the finale, whereupon the sun ‘reappears’, the cello once again starting an upbeat, dance-inflected theme. This is the most playful music we have heard so far, as though Beethoven has shaken off his troubled feelings for the time being. In a master stroke in the coda he brings the main theme back at half speed, implying a solemn finish – before a gust of wind blows the main theme back through at a rate, and over the finish line.

Recordings used and Spotify links

Melos Quartet (Wilhelm Melcher and Gerhard Voss (violins), Hermann Voss (viola), Peter Buck (cello) (Deutsche Grammophon)
Borodin String Quartet (Ruben Aharonian, Andrei Abramenkov (violins), Igor Naidin (viola), Valentin Berlinsky (cello) (Chandos)
Takács Quartet (Edward Dusinberre, Károly Schranz (violins), Roger Tapping (viola), Andras Fejér (Decca)
Tokyo String Quartet (Peter Oundjian, Kikuei Ikeda (violins), Kazuhide Isomura (viola), Sadao Harada (cello) (BMG)
Végh Quartet (Sándor Végh, Sándor Zöldy (violins), Georges Janzer (viola) & Paul Szabo (cello) (Valois)
Amadeus String Quartet (Norbert Brainin, Siegmund Nissel (violins), Peter Schidlof (viola), Martin Lovett (cello)

There are some finely cultivated versions of the first ‘Razumovsky’ quartet on record. It is a shame that Quatuor Mosaïques did not get as far as the set, given the quality of their Op.18 interpretations, but any of the quartets below will more than satisfy. The Melos and Takács spend more time over the slow movement, but generally speeds are similar.

You can chart the Arcana Beethoven playlist as it grows, with one recommended version of each piece we listen to. Catch up here!

Also written in 1806 Weber Concertino for horn and orchestra

Next up String Quartet no.8 in E minor Op.59/2 ‘Razumovsky’