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Beethoven: Grosse Fuge

Stephen Johnson offers an insight into the mechanics of Beethoven's Grosse Fuge, pulling apart this string quartet masterpiece and exploring how we should go about listening to it.

It's adored for its logic, beauty, and total honesty, but Beethoven's 'Grosse Fuge' has also been branded one of the most mystifying of all the composer's works. Stephen Johnson pulls apart this string quartet masterpiece, which Beethoven himself subtitled 'somewhat free, somewhat scholarly', and explores how on earth we should go about listening to it.

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20 minutes

Last on

Mon 3 Oct 201120:30
BBC Radio 3

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Credit

ComposerLudwig van Beethoven

Broadcast

  • Mon 3 Oct 201120:30
    BBC Radio 3

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