Beethoven’s extraordinary last Quartet No. 14, Op. 131 may be an ideal musical metaphor for 2020. It takes the listener on a long emotional arc of contrasts—self-reflection, defiance and yearning, ultimately ending in transformation. So here we are, with this profound music written at the end of Beethoven’s unprecedented life, and at the end of our own unprecedented year. Who but Beethoven, who reportedly responded to a comment about another work with “They are not for you, but for a later age,” could have predicted this relevance, 200+ years later, more perfectly.
PROGRAM
BEETHOVEN
Duet in F Major for Violin and Viola, WoO. 27, No. 2 Allegro affettuoso Aria: Larghetto Finale: Allegretto moderato
String Quartet in C-sharp minor, Opus 131 Adagio, ma non troppo e molto expressivo Allegro molto vivace Allegretto moderato Andante, ma non troppo e molto cantabile Adagio quasi un poco andante Allegro
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Beethoven’s extraordinary last Quartet No. 14, Op. 131 may be an ideal musical metaphor for 2020. It takes the listener on a long emotional arc of contrasts—self-reflection, defiance and yearning, ultimately ending in transformation. So here we are, with this profound music written at the end of Beethoven’s unprecedented life, and at the end of our own unprecedented year. Who but Beethoven, who reportedly responded to a comment about another work with “They are not for you, but for a later age,” could have predicted this relevance, 200+ years later, more perfectly.
PROGRAM
Download the PDF Program NotesBEETHOVEN
Duet in F Major for Violin and Viola, WoO. 27, No. 2
Allegro affettuoso
Aria: Larghetto
Finale: Allegretto moderato
String Quartet in C-sharp minor, Opus 131
Adagio, ma non troppo e molto expressivo
Allegro molto vivace
Allegretto moderato
Andante, ma non troppo e molto cantabile
Adagio quasi un poco andante
Allegro