Three Masterful Works
Haydn String Quartet Op. 76 No. 4 ‘Sunrise’ [22’]
Mendelssohn String Quartet No. 1 in E flat major, Op.12 (1829) [23’32]
Schubert String Quartet No. 14 in D minor D. 810 ‘Death and the Maiden’ [40’]
Three string quartets from three of the masters of the genre, two are mature works, and the other is an amazing achievement by a true prodigy.
Haydn was the father of the modern string quartet, he wrote this piece as part of his last complete set of string quartets, published after some confusion in 1799. It is a work of innovation and exploration away from the traditional forms.
Mendelssohn was a great child prodigy and wrote this work when only 20 in 1829. It is an incredible achievement for such a young composer.
Schubert was also a child prodigy but wrote this work towards the end of his life in 1824, when he had recently heard of his deteriorating health. The work gets its name from his earlier Lied of the same name and is one of Schubert’s crowning masterpieces.
A Tippett Connection
Haydn String Quartet Op. 33 No. 1 [22]
Tippett String Quartet No. 3 [26’]
Beethoven String Quartet Op. 74 ‘Harp’ [32’]
Michael Tippett used to ask that his Beethoven string quartet scores be locked away so that he could obsess over them no longer! Beethoven’s influence is ever present in Tippett’s quartets, which are some of his finest work.
The third string quartet is arguably the best of the set, and shares many of the qualities found in the quartets of his great hero. Tippett’s obsession with polyphony and rhythmic energy is abundantly apparent in this work.
It seems only natural to place this piece in its context. Beethoven was influenced by and exceeded the work of Joseph Haydn, the father of the string quartet.
Getting Intimate…..
Tippett Quartet present the Intimate Letters of Leos Janacek
The "Intimate Letters" quartet was the second to be composed by Janáček. The nickname was given by the composer, as it was inspired by his long and spiritual friendship with Kamila Stösslová, a married woman 38 years his junior. The composition was intended to reflect the character of their relationship as revealed in more than 700 letters they exchanged with each other:
"You stand behind every note, you, living, forceful, loving. The fragrance of your body, the glow of your kisses – no, really of mine. Those notes of mine kiss all of you. They call for you passionately..."
Each programme will feature the Second Quartet with extracts from the letters to be read in between each movement. Being a fellow Czech composer Janacek knew Dvorak well and felt a real affiliation with him. The Smetana-Janacek combination highlights the programmatic style of both composers and both have a personal and dramatic tension that links them and distinguishes them from most other quartets
Programme 1
Dvorak "American" Quartet
INTERVAL
Janacek "Intimate Letters" (with extracts from the letters)
Programme 2
Dvorak Piano Quintet (with David Owen Norris)
INTERVAL
Janacek "Intimate Letters" (with extracts from the letters)
Programme 3
Smetana Quartet No. 1 "From my Life"
INTERVAL
Janacek "Intimate Letters” (with extracts from the letters)
Martinu ‘American Connections’ programme:
Martinu String Quartet No. 7 “Concerto da Camera” [22’]
Korngold String Quartet No. 3 [26’]
Dvorak String Quartet No. 12 in F major Op. 96 ‘American’ [28’]
There can be no doubt that America’s influence on European composers has been profound and constant. Martinu’s last quartet, composed in New York where he was living and working, is a more neoclassical approach to the string quartet than his previous offerings.
It is partnered here by Korngold’s last quartet; himself an Austrian who made his home and career in America. He moved away from his Viennese roots to become one of Hollywood’s greatest composers. Dvorak’s time in America is well documented. Perhaps most tellingly he said of his work at this time - “I should never have written these works 'just so' if I hadn't seen America."
WAR & HUMANITY in the String Quartet
The String Quartets of Britten, Shostakovich and Schubert
Britten String Quartet No.2 Op.36
Schubert String Quartet No. 13 in A minor (Rosamunde), D. 804, Op. 29
Shostakovich String Quartet No.8 in C Minor Op. 110
This explores the influence on Shostakovich by the first Viennese school of composition, and in turn the influence of Shostakovich on Benjamin Britten’s compositions. Both Shostakovich and Britten have a purity and openness in their use of harmony that lends itself to a comparison with Schubert. All three composers used the string quartet form as an intimate means of expression; whether in meditation on the human condition or the contemplation of their own mortality.
In this programme, the theme of war and the tragedy of its human aftermath are combined with the melancholy of Schubert’s A minor quartet, ‘Rosamunde’. Britten’s quartet number 2 was completed after a tour of Germany as accompanist to Yehudi Menuhin, playing to the survivors of the concentration camps. Themes of war and the human cost are also apparent in Shostakovich’s quartet number 8, composed in post-war Dresden and dedicated "to the victims of fascism and war."
Further programmes available upon request