I. Allegro con brio
II. Andante
III. Menuetto. Allegretto - Trio I - Trio II
IV. Finale. Presto


Beethoven composed his String Quintet in E-flat major, in 1795, and dedicated it to Count von Fries. It was an adaptation of his Op. 103 Octet, written for pairs of oboes, clarinets, bassoons and horns.Despite it's high opus number the original Octet was composed in Vienna, in 1793, but didn't get published until 1837, after Beethoven's death. I'm juxtaposition, the String
Quintet was published in Vienna in 1796 and given the Opus number 4.
Viewing the quintet as a mere transcription of the octet would be totally wrong, as far as I'm concerned, as there are numerous differences between the two pieces and the Quintet is viewed by some as a radical revision of the original. Certainly, in its quintet form, it does not sound as if it was originally a wind octet, at all. There are significant alterations in the 1st movement to the exposition, development, recapitulation and coda. The Andante has new themes and heavy alterations to the existing ones, the minuet has an additional trio and the finale is texturally very different and has a totally new alternate theme.
It begins interestingly with its semiquaver motif, that dominates the 1st movement, Allegro. Beethoven takes a leaf out of Haydn's book, here, by creating much from great simplicity and playing with the listener by delaying the return of themes. With its two themes, things gets better in an exciting development section, before the opening figure returns in the recapitulation. It all ends beautifully and tenderly.
The 2nd movement Andante is a siciliano serenade. Haydn does spring to mind here due to the movement's harmonic surprises. It's all beautifully expressive with its relaxed melody and graceful intent.
The 3rd movement is supposedly Minuetto Allegretto but feels scherzo-like due to its brisker pace. The big change of a second trio is really interesting as the 2nd viola does not play so it's basically a quartet at that point.
The Presto finale benefits especially well from it's major reimagining. There's a refreshing rhythmic bounce to the music with its expanded sonata-rondo form. The carefree, main theme is here expanded upon and Beethoven throws in some Haydnesque dynamic contrasts and keeps you guessing in this charming movement.
As I said earlier, although not officially a 'new' quintet it's good work and if you love Beethoven you'll find lots to admire here particularly in the composer's fascinating contrapuntal interplay and deep textures as a result of the additional viola.
Surprisingly there aren't that many recordings available of this one so I'll cover as many as I can below. Unfortunately I didn't get to hear the heavily OOP Endres / Meinecke or Pascal / Gerhard recordings.

Of the remaining recordings I wasn't impressed by the Suk/Spelina effort from 1976. The close sound, in particular hasn't held up well, being bass-shy (but not as bad as their op.104) and lacking fullness. Yes, they play well but others are better and in much better sound. The Pro Arte Antiqua Praha sound like they're playing on period instruments and it's a nice recording but in busier ensemble passages or in the violin's fast-paced melody of the finale they're nowhere near as fluid as many of their rivals. Worth investigating though.
Also well worth listening to are the Quartetto D'Archi de Venezia / Rossi. It's not only Dynamic's natural soundstage that I like here but their sheer enthusiasm and spirit. The whole performance bristles with a spritely, youthful energy and I prefer them to the Nash Ensemble here, who produce a well-rounded, beautifully played account that lacks a bit of the sparkle that the Italians provide. The issue I have with the Nash reading is that I find it lacks body in the recorded sound so whilst it's a decent reference there are more convincing arguments to be made in this music. The Leipziger / Buntrock traversal, on MDG, has more body but they are perhaps a little too restrained in the first half of the quintet but when they hit their stride in the minuet and finale their lovely tone and firm accompaniment is especially convincing. MDG's sound is high quality, as usual. The Zurich String Quintet have a much fuller sound and play with more legato, giving a more classical feel but that works very effectively and the delightful violin tone and more legato playing throughout is rewarding and makes this a very solid recommendation. This is very telling in their fine andante. Slightly shading all these efforts, the Endellion / Adams performance, from the Endellion's complete Beethoven Quartet/Quintet box, is my marginal first choice among the available accounts. Their subtle phrasing, technically immaculate intonation and sensitive interplay plus a richer recorded sound convince more than the competition. Their ensemble is tight and explorative, they are persuasive in the opening Allegro and handle the minuet convincingly, even though I'd like way more snap in accenting.
However, I can't throw my weight totally behind any of these recordings as they all have things missing, for me. This is a work that needs the vitality of the Quartetto D'Archi but also needs snappier accenting and moodier dynamics. I still think that there is a superb recording to be made of this fine quintet and it's a shame the Lindsays / Williams didn't have a crack at it considering what a fine job they made of their op.104 Quintet. This is one piece I'd love to hear the Ebène Quartet / Capucon tackle. I await with baited breath.