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15
TALICH QUARTET
The finale,
Poco allegretto e grazioso
, contrasts stronglywith the previousmovement
in its blend of delicacy and vivacity reminiscent of Haydn. Joseph Joachim criticised
the modesty shown here for being ’Classical’ rather than ’Romantic’; he would have
preferred more physical commitment.
Some years later, in a different score, the composer wrote a
similarly leisurely and peaceful conclusion: it was for his Third
Symphony. Brahms was not very satisfied with this sextet;
he sent the first three movements to Clara Schumann with
instructions to “burn the rubbish”, rather than bother to return
the manuscript. Clara of course did no such thing.