Northern Sinfonia/Zehetmair | Classical review

Sage, GatesheadIn a discussion preceding the performance, Thomas Zehetmair was asked if Beethoven's Grosse Fuge really requires a conductor, as the work originally developed from a string quartet. Though no mean quartet player himself, Zehetmair seemed quite put out, and strode to the podium as if with a point to prove.One of Beethoven's latest, most uncompromising works, the fiendishly complex double fugue was initially condemned as practically impossible to play; and there were points along th...

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