Program Notes

Beethoven String Quartet 14

Ludwig van Beethoven's String Quartet No. 14 in C-sharp minor, Op. 131, is a remarkable and monumental work in the chamber music repertoire. Composed in 1826, this quartet is the one of the famous "Late Quartets." These compositions are considered some of the most profound and innovative pieces in classical music history, pushing the boundaries of traditional structure and expression, bringing classical music into the romantic era.  

Ludwig van Beethoven's String Quartet No. 14, Op. 131, is a musical testament to the composer's artistic maturity and innovation in his later years. This quartet is particularly remarkable for its seamless seven-movement structure, which is performed without pauses between movements, creating an unbroken musical journey that demands the listener's complete attention.

Beethoven’s late string quartets were deeply personal.  While many of Beethoven’s earlier chamber works were dedicated to various patrons and performed in public halls, his late quartets are absent of any dedications, and were premiered in private concerts for select audiences.  

String Quartet No. 14, Op. 131, is a testament to Beethoven's ability to transcend conventional structures, emotions, and expectations. It is a profound and deeply moving work that challenges both performers and audiences to engage with its emotional complexity and depth. Beethoven's late quartets, including this one, remain masterpieces of chamber music and continue to inspire and move audiences with their timeless beauty and innovation.

Shostakovich String Quartet 3

Quartet no. 3 was the only piece of music that Shostakovich composed that year: an indication of latent trouble. This was the last quartet before the attack on composers in 1948 by Soviet “propogandist-in-chief,” Andrei Zhdanov.  Unlike the indiscriminate purges of the 1930's, these were targeted at scientists and artists with the purpose of forcing ideological uniformity in the intellectuals during the bittering cold war. Consequently, the Third Quartet was withdrawn from public performances shortly after its première.

Originally explicitly presented as a "war quartet," Shostakovich initially supported the idea of giving subtitles to each of the movements: "Calm unawareness of the future cataclysm"; "Rumblings of unrest and anticipation"; "The forces of war are unleashed"; "Homage to the dead"; and "The Eternal question: why and to what purpose?".  Shostakovich later chose to remove these programmatic titles; possibly because of Soviet pressure, or perhaps he would rather let the music speak for itself. 

The first movement, dominated by a theme of Haydn-like innocence, is in F major. The E minor second movement starts with the first violin playing against a viola ostinato which then in turn plays to a cello ostinato. The scherzo of the second movement is followed by an even more violent scherzo in the third. This energetic movement, written in G# minor, in part dissonant and canonic, effervesces with military mockery. The fourth movement in C# minor returns to the simple honesty of the first movement and slowly drifts towards its key. Part passacaglia, part funeral march, its mood is of heart-rendering grief. The C natural on the cello at the end of the fourth movement leads attacca into the fifth and final movement. This is a kaleidoscope of wistful, mocking, melancholic and tragic hues. The tension gradually mounts, with instruments playing ostinato until the passacaglia theme, oozing with emotional pathos, is suddenly reintroduced. After that the music finally fades into a peaceful, if painful, conclusion far removed from the innocence with which the quartet began. The movement ends, morendo, with three closing F major chords and a feeling of a 'mysterious transformation into eternal light and conciliation. 

Shostakovich considered the quartet one of his finest works. It certainly held some deep associations for him.  Soon after finishing the Third String Quartet Shostakovich would begin work on what was to be one of his greatest compositions, the First Violin Concerto in A minor, opus 99.