LvB250 – String Quartets Part 6

Spanish string quartet Cuarteto Casals will perform all of Beethoven’s string quartets in 2020 – the big Beethoven year. The 16 quartets came in three phases throughout his lifetime – and each phase comprised a dizzying stride forward for the art of the quartet. The acclaimed Cuarteto Casals debuted at Konserthuset in 2007 and have returned several times, most recently in 2016.

In the summer of 1800, when Beethoven completed the sixth and final quartet of the Opus 18 collection, it had become clear that deafness was imminent. Perhaps these are the emotions he wanted to present musically in the La Malinconia movement. The adagio portion is melancholy and subdued, while the allegretto is a reflection of the appetite for life and faith in the future he once felt. Still, the quartet does not conclude in darkness, but in elated brightness. Beethoven had decided: despite everything, he wanted to embrace life. 

In the Quartet in F Major, Beethoven returned to the traditional four movements of the genre. The first is a graceful and charming allegretto, the second a furiously paced scherzo, while the third is a meditative theme with variations and the finale is a dialogue between expressively charged sadness and pure joy. The Quartet in A Minor, Opus 132, is also expressive, presenting a range of life’s many emotions. It is one of Beethoven’s most fascinating pieces, and it is easy to agree with what a contemporary critic wrote: “big, wonderful, rare, surprising and original music”.

Please note
The concert will take place with an audience of maximum 50 people in the hall. The costumized seating plan allows for two seats together using the online booking. If more seats together are needed, please call our box office, 08-50 66 77 88. Artists and programmes may be subject to changes.

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