String quartett on Beethoven's last sketches - LIVE RECORDING - I. Andante Maestoso / Allegro

[Gerd Prengel]

I am very excited to present to you the first LIVE RECORDING of the 1st movement of my string quartett which I wrote on the basis of the 1st movement of Beethoven's last project, a planned string quintett from Nov. 1826, WoO 62 (piano arrangement by Diabelli of the introduction and the main theme of the Allegro and another Allegro theme at. m.51). 

The main theme starts in the cello at the beginning of the Allegro and is developed in manifold ways throughout the whole movement  :

0:00  Andante Maestoso

2:05  Allegro, exposition

5:00 development

7:09 recapitulation

9:18 Coda, Allegretto cantabile

10:19         Allegro molto

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICjuECtzFMg&feature=youtu.be

    or

http://gerdprengel.de/WoO62_1.mp3
http://gerdprengel.de/WoO62-1.pdf

The performance was done by the Russian Rus quartet.

Would you give me your thoughts? Is the introduction a bit too slow?

Gerd

[James Gilmour]

Gerd, it is wonderful to hear one of your works performed by professional musicians! Nothing beats real musicians, and the piece was wonderfully developed, and well performed. You have much to be proud and excited about!

Jim

[Jos Wylin]

Wonderful performance and mainly a very good interpretation. The quartet has read the score very carefully and played the phrases with some fantasy, but strictly in the classical style. (No romantic hyperbolism or exaggeration in dynamics and contrasts.) These must be very good musicians!

Congrats with the realization, Gerd.

Jos

[Gerd Prengel]

Dear James and Jos, thank you for your Feedback! I was afraid that they would not meet my expectations but actually they surpassed it! The Allegro they took faster than in my former mp3 file and so I find it now much better! Only in the final stretta Allegro molto they ignored some legato slurs and played staccato instead of which I am a bit annoyed. But altogether I am very happy and almost addicted to listen with headphones to it when walking ... I will also get the other movements performed by the Rus Quartett which will also be a financial help for them in the corona crisis... Gerd