Chiaroscuro Quartet

Part of the series «Chamber Music Compact» – Chiaroscuro Quartet plays 7 concerts in 3 days.

Joseph Haydn: String Quartet F minor op. 20 no. 5, Hob. III:35

Ludwig van Beethoven: String Quartet F major op. 59 no. 1

Duration approx. 70 minutes

Joseph Haydn's Quartet in F minor is already remarkable in its choice of key. In this dark sphere, melancholic rather than stormy, Haydn creates an enchanting beauty through the changes of light from minor to major.

The 3rd movement shines particularly brightly - a Siciliano in F major. The final fugue in F minor - whose theme and counterpart probably inspired the ‘Kyrie’ in Mozart's Requiem - has an almost liturgical aura, which in its purity carries the symbolism of the course of the world predetermined by God.

Beethoven's Quartet in F major op. 59 no. 1 further develops Haydn's tendency towards four equal voices, clearly visible in the decision to give the cello the main theme in the first movement. This combines the lyrical, pastoral tone with symphonic dimensions that go beyond the boundaries of what was acceptable at the time, as does the folk-like drum motif on a single note in the second movement.

The third movement «Adagio molto e mesto», like Haydn's F minor Quartet, plunges into the darkest spheres and creates a touching lamentation topos of string chamber music that will remain central to the entire 19th century. The fourth movement brings us back to a cheerfully relaxed realm.

Chiaroscuro Quartet:

Alina Ibragimova, violin

Charlotte Saluste-Bridoux, violin

Emilie Hörnlund, viola

Claire Thirion, violoncello

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