is." Composer Louis Spohr called them "indecipherable, uncorrected horrors". Opinion has changed considerably from the time of their first bewildered reception: these six quartets (including the Große Fuge) are widely considered to be among the greatest musical compositions of all time. The Frankfurt School philosopher Theodor Adorno, in particular, thought highly of them, and Igor Stravinsky called the Große Fuge "an absolutely contemporary piece of music that will be contemporary forever". Their forms and ideas inspired and continue to inspire musicians and composers, such as Richard Wagner and Béla Bartók. Wagner said that Op. 131's first movement "reveals the most melancholy sentiment expressed in music". Schubert's last musical wish was to hear Op. 131, which he did on 14 November 1828, five days before his death. Afterward, he remarked, "After this, what is left for us to write?" Beethoven also considered Op. 131 his most perfect single work. Other versions Arturo Toscanini and Felix Weingartner, among others, transcribed some of the late quartets for string orchestra. Recordings Ensembles that have recorded the complete late Beethoven quartets include: Alban Berg Quartet, EMI (studio early 80s) Alban Berg Quartet, EMI (rec. live 1989) Alexander String Quartet, Arte Nova Alexander String Quartet, Foghorn Classics Amadeus Quartet, DG Artemis Quartet, Virgin Classics Barylli Quartet Beethoven Quartet, Melodiya (rec. 1951-1972) Belcea Quartet Borodin Quartet, Chandos Brentano String Quartet, Aeon (rec. 2012) Budapest String Quartet, Bridge (rec. 1941-60) Budapest String Quartet, Sony (rec. 1958-61) Busch Quartet, various labels (rec. 1933-41; no Große Fuge) Cleveland Quartet, RCA Red seal (1970s) Cleveland Quartet, Telarc (1990s) Colorado Quartet, Parnassus (rec. 2004-06) Ehnes Quartet, Onyx Classics (2020-2022) Emerson String Quartet, DG Endellion String Quartet, Warner Classics (2005–06) Fine Arts Quartet, Everest/Concert-Disc (rec. 1960-65) Gewandhaus-Quartett, New Classical Adventure (rec. live 1985-98) Guarneri Quartet, RCA Red Seal, Philips Hagen Quartett, DG Hollywood String Quartet, Testament Hungarian Quartet, (1953 mono) EMI Hungarian Quartet, (1960s stereo) EMI Juilliard String Quartet, CBS studio late 60s Juilliard String Quartet, CBS (rec. live 1982) Kodály Quartet, Naxos LaSalle Quartet, DG (reissued on Brilliant Classics) Leipziger Streichquartett, MDG Lindsays, ASV Lydian String Quartet, Centaur Medici Quartet, Nimbus Melos Quartett, DG Orford String Quartet, Delos Orion String Quartet, Koch Classics (2008) Penderecki String Quartet, Marquis (2013) Petersen Quartett, Capriccio Prazak Quartet, Praga Quatuor Mosaïques, Naïve Quartetto Italiano, Decca Smetana Quartet, Supraphon Suske Quartett, Berlin Classics Takács Quartet, Decca (2005) Talich Quartet, Calliope Taneyev Quartet, Boheme Tokyo String Quartet, RCA