Beethoven: Große Fugue, Op. 133 (arr. for string orchestra)

Description

The Grosse Fugue (Great Fugue) remains the most controversial work by Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827), with it considered incomprehensible by his contemporaries, though the critical opinion of the work began to rise steadily in the early 20th century to the point where is now considered by many to be Beethoven's greatest achievements, with Igor Stravinsky describing it as, "an absolutely contemporary piece of music that will be contemporary forever." Originally composed as the fourth movement of his Quartet No. 13 in B-flat Major, Op. 130, the dismal reception led his publisher to request of Beethoven to rewrite the final movement so as to not impact sales of the larger work, something to which the usually stubborn composer surprisingly agreed. The single movement string quartet was then published as a standalone work, Op. 133. This arrangement by Felix von Weingartner for string orchestra was completed in 1933.