Repertoire for Spring 2012

Ludwig van Beethoven: String Quartet No.4 in C minor, opus 18 is unique among the six of Op. 18. First, it is the only quartet for which no previous sketches have been found. This has lead scholars to conjecture that the quartet was assembled from earlier music that Beethoven “stockpiled” before coming to Vienna. Others have concluded that the quartet was written without the extensive revisions typical of Beethoven. The quartet is also unique for being the only one of the set in a minor key. C minor is often regarded as “the” minor key for Beethoven, the same he chose for such works as the earlier “Pathétique” piano sonata, the later fifth symphony and his final piano sonata, Op. 111. One of the most popular quartets, this one is full of drama revolving around the gravity of its ruling minor mode.

Johannes Brahms: Piano Quintet in F minor, opus 34 was completed during the summer of 1864. It was dedicated to Her Royal Highness the Princess Anne of Hesse. This piece underwent several transformations before Brahms was finally satisfied with it. Originally, he had written the piece for string quintet; it did not fully satisfy either him or friends of his such as Clara Schumann (Robert 's wife and talented pianist) and Joseph Joachim (virtuoso violinist). Both friends expressed their admiration for the music, but also doubts as to the all-string instrumentation. So the quintet became a Sonata for Two Pianos, which was not received well by the public. Finally, in 1864 Brahms reworked the piece to its present form: a quintet for piano and string quartet. In listening to the work, one is not at all aware of the long journey of its creation, but only of the richness and deep musical thought in this masterpiece.

Antonin Dvořák: Slavonic Dances were composed in 1878 and 1886. Originally written for piano four hands, the Slavonic Dances were inspired by Johannes Brahms's own Hungarian Dances and were orchestrated at the request of Dvořák's publisher soon after composition. The pieces, lively and overtly nationalistic, were well received at the time and today are among the composer's most memorable works, occasionally making appearances in popular culture.

Johannes Brahms: Hungarian Dances derive from the czardas found in contemporary collections of Hungarian music. Brahms learned many of these through his encounter much earlier with Remenyi, but he invested the melodies with even greater character, recreating them in an expanded form. Abrupt transitions of tempo, material and mood conjure up the commonly-held image of gypsy violinists.