# Beethoven - Op. 133 - Grosse Fugue



## HansZimmer (11 mo ago)

How do you rate this piece?


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

Sorry, on a very personal note, I like for example the _Hammerklavier Sonata_ a lot, also the other late string quartets, but the ongoings in just this piece I tend to somehow find too stressful, on a purely emotional level.


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

I voted 'good' as a stand alone piece. It works far better for me in its original intention.


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## mmsbls (Mar 6, 2011)

When I first heard it, I was very surprised that Beethoven would write it, and I definitely did not enjoy it. Now it is one of my favorite string quartets heard alone or after Op. 130.


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## Kreisler jr (Apr 21, 2021)

I love it but I don't listen to it frequently because it is so intense. For some reason I have become mostly indifferent to the contested question whether it should be played separately or as finale.


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## Xisten267 (Sep 2, 2018)

It's probably one of the hardest, most avant-garde pieces to listen to in the 19th century. It's also very intense and deep in my view. I only listen to the _Grosse Fuge_ together with Op. 130, as originally intended by Beethoven, and to me the whole quartet is outstanding. I only hear it on special occasions. The quartet in it's entirety is a 9.5 out of 10 to my taste.


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## sqorda (Aug 9, 2013)

I love it that it still upsets people after nearly 200 years. And I love it.


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## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

I voted Excellent, almost beyond believe, Quatuor Ebène -Alban Berg Quartet my favourites on this moment .


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## DaveM (Jun 29, 2015)

As a kid I first heard the Grosse Fugue in the form of Klemperer’s orchestral version. Played that vinyl record over and over. For whatever reason, probably imprinting, it’s still my favorite version of this work:


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## RobertJTh (Sep 19, 2021)

The boldest, bravest, most forward looking work by Beethoven. It's the one that most of the great romantic composers who came after him and claimed to be heavily influenced by him didn't come to terms with. Too radical, incomprehensible. It seems to skip the entire 19th century and find company only in modern neoclassical, anti-romantic music.

And I just love how much of a pleb filter it still is in our present day. Feed it to your average Classic FM listeners and watch them recoil in horror. It's music that trades beauty for truth. And yes, there's still some pretty sounds to be found, for instance where the second theme (in D major) appears. But before that, all the "casuals" have already stopped listening.


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## Couchie (Dec 9, 2010)

I find it a tad absonant. Was he deaf or something?


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## HansZimmer (11 mo ago)

RobertJTh said:


> Feed it to your average Classic FM listeners and watch them recoil in horror.


When exactly did ClassicFM reject the Grosse Fugue?

Vertavo Quartet: Beethoven - String Quartet No.13, Grosse Fuge - Classic FM

Beethoven's Große Fuge Op. 133, played by the Australian Chamb... | Beethoven's epic Große Fuge Op. 133, played by the Australian Chamber Orchestra Hear this amazing orchestra next month at London's Southbank Centre 👉... | By Classic FM | Facebook

Even here it doesn't look to be a divisive piece at all (see the poll). Nowadays it's not a controversial piece. If you want to be nonconformist you have to say that it's not a good piece.


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## Eva Yojimbo (Jan 30, 2016)

Wasn't it Stravinsky who said the work would be "forever contemporary?" I agree. It's the only classical work that ever inspired my mother during my teen years to burst into my room yelling "what the hell is that noise you're listening to?!" Imagine the surprise on her face when I said "Beethoven!" For me, the Grosse Fugue and the slow movement of the 15th string quartet are Beethoven's peaks in the genre.


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## justekaia (Jan 2, 2022)

Op 130 is my favourite SQ of all times and i only listen to it in the version with the Grosse Fugue which is a revolutionary ending to an SQ. The GF is the harbinger of the music of the second half of the 20 th century and beyond. Stand alone versions with or without orchestration are fine provided they are well done, which is seldom the case. I personally like the orchestrated Karajan version although it might be "too much" for some listeners.


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## pailyyy (22 h ago)

In the quartet, I really prefer Beethoven's revised finale, but as a standalone work it's really great, albeit a bit uncomfortable to listen to sometimes. The one thing that I don't enjoy so much about the piece is the coda. It seems to fall a bit short compared to the rest of the work.


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