Alma Quartet Amsterdam - The Late Quartets, Vol. 2: Beethoven & Shostakovich (2026) [Hi-Res]

Tracklist

01. String Quartet No. 13 in B-Flat Major, Op. 130: I. Adagio ma non troppo - Allegro
02. String Quartet No. 13 in B-Flat Major, Op. 130: II. Presto
03. String Quartet No. 13 in B-Flat Major, Op. 130: III. Andante con moto ma non troppo. Poco scherzoso
04. String Quartet No. 13 in B-Flat Major, Op. 130: IV. Alla danza tedesca. Allegro assai
05. String Quartet No. 13 in B-Flat Major, Op. 130: V. Cavatina. Adagio molto espressivo
06. Grosse Fuge in B-Flat Major, Op. 133
07. String Quartet No. 12 in D-Flat Major, Op. 133: I. Moderato - Allegretto
08. String Quartet No. 12 in D-Flat Major, Op. 133: II. Allegretto - Adagio - Moderato - Allegretto

Alma Quartet continues its ambitious Late Quartets series by bringing together two extraordinary works that share more than the same opus number. Beethovens String Quartet No. 13, Op. 130, with the monumental Grosse Fuge, Op. 133, travels from dark humour and gentle melancholy to the profoundly moving Cavatina and a finale that was so radical in 1826 that audiences struggled to comprehend it. Nearly two centuries later, the Grosse Fuge still sounds astonishingly modern - music Stravinsky famously considered contemporary forever. Shostakovichs String Quartet No. 12, Op. 133 forms a fascinating counterpart. Built around a twelve-tone series, it transforms an ostensibly modernist technique into music that is lyrical, emotional and surprisingly accessible. Its expansive second movement moves from fierce virtuosity and almost symphonic intensity towards a visceral, liberating conclusion. In Alma Quartets hands, these two Opus 133 worlds become part of a larger conversation across time - the second instalment of their multi-year project pairing the late quartets of Beethoven and Shostakovich.