String Quartet no. 11 in F minor 'Serioso', Op. 95
Beethoven's String Quartet no. 11 in F minor was his last quartet before his late period. It is commonly referred to as the Serioso, stemming from 'quartett serioso' indication at the beggining, as well as the tempo designation of the third movement. The autograph manuscript is inscribed 'october 1810', but the paper on which it appears does not match the variety Beethoven used at the time. It is more likely that he finished it at a later date. It premiered in 1814 and was first printed in 1816. Beethoven reportedly asked that it never was performed in public, as it included many experimental compositional techniques that he would later develop in his third period. Gustav Mahler arranged this quartet for string orchestra, mostly by doubling some of the cello parts with double basses.
