Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony is a resounding apotheosis of his symphonic oeuvre. One might expect a similar big statement from his final string quartet, but Beethoven’s string quartet opus 135 is in many ways significantly lighter than its predecessors and actually raises more questions than answers. “The Difficult Decision,” Beethoven wrote in the score above the last movement. “Muss es sein? Es muss sein!” he wrote in the music. Is it the philosophical conclusion to the life of one of the greatest composers of all time? Or is it simply a reference to an outstanding debt that still had to be paid? Beethoven leaves the answer to us.