String Quartet in B-flat major (Sibelius)

The String Quartet in B-flat major, Op. 4, is a four-movement chamber piece for two violins, viola, and cello written from the summer of 1889 to September 1890 by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. It is the third of Sibelius's four string quartets. Musicologists have speculated: first, that the Adagio in D minor (JS 12) may have been intended as a slow movement for the Op. 4 quartet; and second, that the Allegretto in B-flat major (without catalogue designation) may be an abandoned sketch.

The B-flat major Quartet received its premiere in Helsinki on 13 October 1890 at the Helsinki Music Institute (now the Sibelius Academy); the Norwegian composer Johan Halvorsen was the first violinist, joined by Wilhelm Santé (violin II), Josef Schwartz (viola), and Otto Hutschenreuter (cello).

In February 1894, Sibelius arranged Movement III for strings and titled it Presto (also known as Scherzo). This version received its premiere on 17 February 1894 in Turku, with Sibelius conducting the Orchestra of the Turku Musical Society.

Structure
The B-flat major Quartet is in four movements, as follows: 1. Allegro

2. Andante molto

3. Presto

4. Allegro

The piece was published posthumously in 1991 by Fazer Music.

Movement I
The first movement, marked Allegro, is in time; it has a duration of about nine minutes.

Movement II
The second movement, marked Andante molto, is in time; it has a duration of about 7.5 minutes.

Movement III
The third movement, marked Presto, is in time; it has a duration of about six minutes.

Movement IV
The fourth movement, marked Allegro, is in time; it has a duration of about nine minutes.

Discography
The Sibelius Academy Quartet made the world premiere studio recording of the B-flat major Quartet for Finlandia in 1985. The table below lists this and other commercially available recordings:

The Finnish conductor Pekka Helasvuo and the Finlandia Sinfonietta made the world premiere studio recording of Presto in 1985 for Finlandia. The table below lists this and other commercially available recordings:

Notes, references, and sources

 * Notes


 * References


 * Sources