Beethoven-Zyklus V

Quatuor Ebène

Programme:
Ludwig van Beethoven: String Quartet No. 5 in A major, Op. 18/5, String Quartet No. 4 in C minor, Op. 18/4, String Quartet No. 12 in E flat major, Op. 127

In his »early quartets«, Beethoven drew heavily on the works of his two predecessors, Haydn and Mozart. He particularly admired Mozart’s »Haydn Quartet« K. 464, modelling his String Quartet No. 5 in A major on it. »What a work!« he is said to have remarked to Carl Czerny, adopting not only the key, but also the sequence of movements, genres and dynamics. When critics and audiences alike raved about his earlier String Quartet No. 4 in C minor – more conventional, yet full of surprising ideas – Beethoven reacted gruffly: »That’s utter crap! Good for the dumb audience.« He had not composed a quartet for over ten years when he embarked on String Quartet No. 12 in E-flat major. He is said to have later judged the work to »always deserve … preference over all others« because of how it »sings«. The premiere in Vienna on 6 March 1825 was a failure – not only due to technical difficulties, but also because the »new sound« irritated even the musicians of the Schuppanzigh Quartet who performed it!

presented by dodenhof and swb
in cooperation with the Philharmonische Gesellschaft Bremen