Streichquartett • String Quartet Op.130 (Originalversion Mit Großer Fuge • Original Version With Great Fugue Op. 133)

Released in 1973 by Deutsche Grammophon, this recording features the LaSalle Quartet performing Beethoven's String Quartet No. 13 in B-flat major, Op. 130, restored to its original structure including the Grosse Fuge, Op. 133, as the finale. The LaSalle Quartet, known for their rigorous intellectual approach and advocacy for the Second Viennese School, brought a scholarly precision to this interpretation, aiming to reclaim the composer's initial vision for the piece, which was famously separated by his publisher due to its perceived difficulty.

The production serves as a hallmark of the ensemble's tenure with the label during the early 1970s. Their performance was widely received by critics as a definitive realization of the quartet's structural complexities, balancing technical accuracy with the emotional turbulence characteristic of Beethoven's late period. By reinstating the Grosse Fuge in its intended position, the record offers listeners a historically informed perspective on how the work challenges the boundaries of the classical quartet form.