String Quartet No. 11 "Serioso" in F Minor

Few of Beethoven’s chamber works convey more intense emotions than his String Quartet No. 11. It was composed in 1810, around the time he was writing the incidental music to Egmont, and some of the vehemence of the Egmont Overture seems to have rubbed off on the work. The loud unison flourish which opens the “Allegro con brio” could not be more dramatic. It sets the scene for a movement that blisters with anger, exploiting the widest possible dynamic range and culminating in a violent coda in which the viola obsessively enunciates the opening five notes of the movement in tandem with neurotically syncopated rhythms in the violins. The second movement, “Allegretto ma non troppo”, is very different, exploring a dark but emotionally subdued mood. This leads without a break into the “Allegro assai vivace, ma serioso” third movement, where once again Beethoven unleashes further musical thunderbolts. Although the finale opens with a slow, melancholic introduction, the ensuing “Allegretto agitato” continues in the same stormy vein. But almost without warning, Beethoven changes gear with a final section of effervescent string writing which brings this deeply serious work to an unexpectedly upbeat conclusion.