Quatuor Ébène / Beethoven

The appointment with the Quatuor Ébène, protagonist of the project at the Auditorium Parco della Musica, as part of the Chamber Music Season, inaugurates the complete performance of Beethoven's String Quartets, in anticipation of the bicentenary of his birth, which falls in 2027.

The program includes Ludwig van Beethoven’s Quartet Op. 18 No. 3, the Quartet Op. 95 “Serioso” and the Quartet Op. 59 No. 2 “Razumovsky”.

The Quartet, Op. 18, No. 3, in four movements, written between 1798 and 1799, was the first of the six quartets that comprise Op. 18. Perhaps because it was written first, it has generally been assigned a role of greater attachment to the tradition, but this is only partially true. Indeed, in this score, we find, on the one hand, a writing that sees the first violin predominate, along with melodies in the Mozart style, but also, on the other, a series of innovations that appear fully personal.

The Quartet, Op. 95, "Serioso" in F minor, Op. 95, was composed by Beethoven in 1810. The title "Serioso," besides being the title of the quartet, is also the tempo indication for the third movement (Allegro assai vivace ma serioso), and it is one of the shortest quartets written by the composer. It is characterized by a Romantic temperament that, influencing classical forms, modifies and renews them over time, proposing variations on the obligatory structures.

The "Razumovsky" Quartet, Op. 59 No. 2, written in 1806 and published in 1808, also in the traditional four movements, is also known as the Razumovsky Quartet after its commissioner, the Russian diplomat Andrey Razumovsky, a patron of the great composer. The Quartet is characterized by a refined writing, as well as a series of innovative techniques and ideas for the opus 18 Quartets, such as sobriety and a certain vagueness.

National Academy of Santa Cecilia - Chamber Music Season - Auditorium Parco della Musica - Rome

Beethoven
Quartet, Op. 18, No. 3
Quartet, Op. 95, "Serioso"
Quartet, Op. 59, No. 2, "Razumovsky"

Photo: the Auditorium Parco della Musica official site