恩尼斯四重奏的貝多芬後期系列的第三輯。即使有人將《嚴肅四重奏》都歸為後期四重奏，但《豎琴四重奏》肯定沒有人當成後期。不過它對我有特別意義，也是全部16首貝多芬弦樂四重奏之中，最被人忽略的一首。喜歡後期風格重口味的、還是想聽古典風或簡單一點的浪漫風的，都會置之不理，演奏者也如是，除非要奏全集。慕特原定去年來香港的貝多芬音樂會中，室樂的那場她就選了這首。
恩尼斯四重奏這個演奏，更令我覺得把《豎琴四重奏》和後期四重奏一起也不失禮。所謂豎琴是指第一樂章（軌一）的撥弦，這些撥弦不是偶一為之，而是可以當成動機。我覺得這個樂章，相比起貝多芬之前的弦樂四重奏，「動機」的重要性比「旋律」更強，令我有《命運交響曲》的聯想。發展部的寫法預想不到，回到主題也鋪排得很妙。不過必須承認第二樂章的旋律確實頗弱，應是此曲名聲不佳一個原因。
恩尼斯四重奏在這曲奏得很有緊逼感，就像後期四重奏般越過了品味及粗俗的界線。第三樂章（軌三）的諧謔曲是暴烈及更暴烈，引領到第四樂章的變奏曲。貝多芬雖然不時用變奏曲結束樂曲，但恩尼斯抓住了這樂章的玩笑性質，而不是一般演奏的找不到方向，令我想起《迪亞貝利變奏曲》的結尾，恩尼斯四重奏也讓樂曲好像沒有結尾的完結，再標榜一下貝多芬的奇想。
軌五至八的《嚴肅四重奏》，想是太多人演奏，一切可能都給人試過，想快有快，想激有激，恩尼斯四重奏未能突破，但我還是要稱讚一下他們在第四樂章，堅持着「激動的小快板」的速度指示，亦即是不會為了刺激而奏快一點，所以絕對不能說他們勁度不夠。
The late Beethoven quartets recorded by Ehnes Quartet is now in the third issue. The Serioso Quartet is often treated as a late quartet because of its ferocity but it is never the case for the Harp Quartet. It is a shame that this quartet is overlooked, stuck between the assessable op.18 and 59 quartets and the late quartets so favoured by modern philistines.
This performance by Ehnes Quartet reinforced my view that the Harp Quartet is indeed special, even more out-of-the-box than I supposed. The nickname refers to the pizzicato of the first movement: those pizzicatos are so prominent that they serve a motivic function. In comparison to Beethoven’s previous quartets this first movement is almost built on motives rather than melodies. The obsessiveness almost reminds me of the Fifth Symphony, and the development is truly unique. Unfortunately the second movement is too weak in its melodies.
Ehnes Quartet approached this work with high intensity, sometimes crossing the boundary between good taste and vulgarity, as in many instances in the late quartets. The third movement is a scherzo that is essentially stormy and stormier. Without any real resolution it leads into the variation finale. Beethoven often used this form in his finales but Ehnes Quartet grasped its mocking nature like none other. As most quartets lost their bearings and simply trod through it, Ehnes Quartet’s approach reminds me of the concluding variation of the Diabelli Variations. The non-ending at the end as they played it again testified to Beethoven’s originality in this overlooked work.
As for Serioso, the market has already exhausted its possibilities. One simply can’t go faster or harder, and the Ehnes Quartet didn’t give an enlightening performance like in the Harp Quartet. But to their credit I acknowledge their tempo in the finale. Some listeners might think they didn’t go fast enough but it was because they stuck to Beethoven’s indication that this is an Allegretto, instead of an Allegro or a Presto.