Programme Notes

Robert Schumann (1810-1856) String Quartet in F Op 41 No 2 (1842)

Allegro vivace

Andante quasi variazioni

Scherzo. Presto – Trio. L’istesso tempo

Allegro molto vivace

Coming after his ‘Liederjahre’ of 1840 and the subsequent ‘Symphonic Year’ of 1841, 1842 was Schumann’s ‘Chamber Music Year’: three string quartets, a piano quartet and the particularly successful piano quintet. Such creativity may have been due to Schumann at last winning, in July 1840, the protracted legal case in which his ex-teacher Friedrich Wieck, attempted to forbid him from marrying Wieck’s daughter Clara. They were married on 12 September 1840, the day before Clara’s 21^st birthday.. Continue reading 23rd February 2020 – Castalian Quartet – Programme notes by Chris Darwin

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