HAYDN String Quartet in D major, Op. 20 No. 4
BARTÓK String Quartet No. 6
DVOŘÁK String Quartet No. 14 in A-flat major, Op. 105

Folk music has always provided an inspiring repository of material for classical musicians. Haydn's proximity to Hungary, by way of his employment at the Esterházy court, meant that he had regular interaction with Hungarian musicians. The Menuet alla Zingarese, or “Gypsy Minuet,” and finale of Haydn's String Quartet in D major, Op. 20 No. 4 show the composer's love of the folk idiom.

HAYDN String Quartet in F minor, Op. 20 No. 5
SHAW Punctum; Entr'acte {a minuet & trio}; Valencia
RAVEL String Quartet in F major

The inspiration for this program came from Caroline Shaw's description of her quartet, Valencia, which she describes as “literally about how awesome it is to eat an orange. Saturated color and flavor.” Likewise, her two other quartets, Punctum and Entr'acte, create innovative, colorful textures through unconventional techniques. 

FASCH Sonata a quattro in D minor
HAYDN String Quartet in F minor, Op.20 No.5
SHAW Punctum; Entr'acte {a minuet & trio}
BEETHOVEN String Quartet in C-sharp minor, Op. 131

While the string quartet as we know it today was a product of the Classical era, it wasn't the first genre for two violins, viola and cello. Johann Friedrich Fasch, a Baroque composer and contemporary of J.S. Bach, scored some sonatas for this instrumentation, and here we present his Sonata a quattro in D minor as a precursor to the genre. 

STRAVINSKY Concertino & Three Pieces for String Quartet
SCHNITTKE Canon in Memoriam Igor Stravinsky
BORODIN String Quartet No. 2 in D major
SHOSTAKOVICH String Quartet No. 8 in C minor, Op.110

“Where words fail, music speaks,” wrote Hans Christian Andersen, and with this program we present deeply personal musical tributes. On the death of Stravisnky, whose Concertino and Three Pieces for String Quartet open the program, Russian composer Alfred Schnittke penned his Canon in memoriam Igor Stravinsky, a contemplative work whose simplicity of expression is a fitting testament to the 20th-century icon.

MATTHEW BROWNE Great Danger, Keep Out
ERBERK ERYILMAZ Miniatures Set No. 4
BARTÓK String Quartet No. 6
DVOŘÁK String Quartet in A-flat major, Op. 105

Folk music has always provided an inspiring repository of material for classical musicians. Perhaps the one composer who made the most of his exposure to traditional peasant music was Béla Bartók, who spent years traveling throughout Eastern Europe collecting the traditional music of the peasant population far from the urban centers. 

HAYDN String Quartet in D major, Op. 20 No. 4
MENDELSSOHN String Quartet in E minor, Op. 44 No. 2
WEBERN Six Bagatelles, Op. 9
BEETHOVEN String Quartet in C major, Op. 59 No. 3

If Joseph Haydn is considered the “father of the string quartet,” then his progeny would certainly include Beethoven and Mendelssohn. This program explores the development of the string quartet through these three generations.

SCHUBERT Quartettsatz in C minor, D. 703
HAYDN String Quartet in D major, Op. 20 No. 4
MENDELSSOHN String Quartet in E minor, Op. 44 No. 2

This program seeks to explore the seeds of romanticism while they are still fresh on their journey into the world. Schubert and Mendelssohn owe their understanding of the string quartet genre to paradigms Haydn established a half-century earlier.