The second finale that Beethoven was persuaded to produce is not a part of the complete performance. It is appended separately. Instead, the work is played as originally composed, ending with the Grosse Fuge which is both aggressive and euphonious; and terrifyingly difficult. The Endellion do not shirk their responsibilities here. They throw caution to the winds and offer no-holds-barred playing entirely in keeping with both aspects of the music. Its central lyrical episode in G flat (4'46" to 7'44"), and a part (13'09" to 13'47") of the penultimate section where Beethoven lowers the tension before the dramatic finish, call for sustained pianissimos that the Endellion conjure with consummate artistry.

Puzzlingly though, they do not replicate this level of dynamic control elsewhere. Contrary to directions, the first movement starts too loudly and continues rather prosaically, with the sighing figurations in the development blunt enough to reduce further a sense of wonder at the many contrasts in mood. The Endellion are superior in the following three movements but fall at the heart of this piece, the Cavatina. While tempo is good and execution of high quality, they ignore a marking of fundamental importance – sotto voce. And their tone is too “open” to convey the inward, grieving nature of this movement, its tremulousness accentuated by the six bars marked beklemmt (oppressed). The Lindsays, in one of their profoundest interpretations (ASV, 9/01), hold you in their thrall, as they do throughout the whole quartet. The Endellion don’t always fulfil the highest expectations.