Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1826) String Quartet Op.18 No.3 in D (1799)
Allegro
Andante con moto
Allegro – Minore
Presto
Beethoven was in his late 20s and living in Vienna when he wrote his six Op 18 string quartets. Uneducated (“I do everything badly except compose”), rough-mannered, but with an alluringly Continue reading 26th January 2020 – Heath Quartet – Programme notes by Chris Darwin
Josef Haydn (1732-1809) String Quartet Op. 74 No.1 in C (1793)
Allegro
Andantino grazioso
Menuet & Trio
Finale: Vivace
Haydn’s six ‘Apponyi’ quartets (Op 71 and 74) were written in 1792 & 1793 between his two extended visits to London. Prince Nicholas Esterházy, Haydn’s patron to whom he was devoted, had Continue reading 8th December 2019 – Maxwell Quartet – Programme notes by Chris Darwin
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) Violin Sonata in G Op 96 (1812)
Allegro moderato
Adagio espressivo
Scherzo. Allegro
Poco Allegretto
During the years 1810-12 Beethoven produced three remarkable chamber works: in 1810 the Op 95 ‘Serioso‘ String Quartet, in 1811 the Op 97 ‘Archduke‘ Piano Trio, and in 1812 Continue reading 17th November 2019 – Endymion Horn Trio – Programme notes by Chris Darwin
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) Piano Trio in C, K.548 (1788)
Allegro
Andante cantabile
Allegro
Unlike the piano concerto and piano sonata, the piano trio does not figure Continue reading 20th October 2019 – Mithras Trio – Programme notes by Chris Darwin
Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) Piano Trio in E, Hob. XV:28 (1797)
Allegro moderato
Allegretto
Finale. Allegro
It is easy to undervalue Haydn’s Piano Trios. The string parts often double the keyboard and generally lack the independence found later, say in Beethoven. But for much of his piano trio output, Haydn’s hands were tied by the underpowered keyboards that he was writing for – doubling of the weak keyboard bass line was a necessity. Viewed on their own terms as ‘keyboard sonatas with string accompaniment’, we can enjoy their virtues rather than wishing they were Beethoven. Continue reading 24th March 2019 – Aquinas Trio – Programme notes by Chris Darwin
Josef Haydn (1732-1809) String Quartet Op. 20 No. 2 in C (1772)
Moderato
Capriccio: Adagio
Menuet: Allegretto
Fuga a quattro soggetti: Allegro
Writing in four parts had been recognised both in theory and practice as the bedrock of string music long before the 1750s when Haydn started to compose string quartets. But four-part string music then had a variety of forms, none of which we would recognise as a ‘string quartet’ and was predominantly based on a basso continuo cello with optional keyboard, or was a light keyboard-less divertimento. The 18-year-old Haydn got into writing for a quartet of strings thanks to one Baron Fürnberg, who asked him to write something to be played at his place at Weinzierl in the Wachau valley. The four musicians were the local pastor, his estate manager, Haydn and the cellist brother of the Johann Albrechtsberger who later taught Beethoven composition. The resulting Op 1 & 2 quartets were still, both in name and form, divertimenti. Continue reading 24th February 2019 – Castalian Quartet – Programme notes by Chris Darwin
