Beethoven, Ludwig - String Quartets Op 59 - Barenreiter Edition

The three "Rasumovsky" (or "Razumovsky") string quartets, opus 59, are the quartets Ludwig van Beethoven wrote in 1806, as a result of a commission by the Russian ambassador in Vienna, Count Andreas Razumovsky. Beethoven uses a characteristically "Russian" theme in the first two quartets in honor of the prince who gave him the commission. In Op. 59 No. 1, the "Thème russe" is the principal theme of the last movement. In Op. 59 No. 2, the "Thème russe" is in the B section of the third movement, the scherzo, this theme being based on a Russian folk song which was also utilized by Modest Mussorgsky in the coronation scene of his opera Boris Godunov, by Sergei Rachmaninoff in the sixth movement of his 6 Morceaux for Piano Duet, Op.11 "Glory" ("Slava"), and by Igor Stravinsky in his ballet The Firebird. In the quartet Op. 59 No. 3, there is no "Thème russe" explicitly named in the score, but many commentators have heard a "Russian" character in the subject of the Andantino movement.

This edition contains parts for two violins, viola, and cello. Published by Barenreiter