Rodewald Concert Series
Belcea Quartet
The Complete Beethoven String Quartets
Tuesday 12 June 2012 7:30 pm
St George's Hall Concert Room
Beethoven
String Quartet Op.18 No.5 in A major
String Quartet Op.130 with fugue in B flat major
Tickets £25
“What do I care for your wretched fiddle when I am speaking to my God?” Ludwig van Beethoven never compromised. Even today his string quartets are amongst the highest challenges for any ensemble. They’re also one of the greatest musical journeys any listener or performer can ever undertake. From the explosive humour of Op.18 – where Beethoven takes on Mozart and Haydn, and blows them both sky-high – through to the transcendent final vision of the late quartets, they range from mighty symphonic dramas to some of the most intimate, and heart-rending, moments in all of western music.
Since their debut in 1994, the Belcea have established themselves as one of the most accomplished and imaginative string quartets on the international scene. Now, in the wake of their award-winning recording of the complete Bartók string quartets, they tackle the summit of the string quartet repertoire, performing all seventeen of Beethoven’s quartets over six carefully-planned concerts. Hear one, or hear them all; each promises to offer a gripping insight into the heart and mind of music’s ultimate revolutionary. It’s a special occasion for the Belceas. And it’ll be a special occasion for anyone who loves string quartets, who loves Beethoven – or who simply loves great music, whatever its form.
‘They are pre-eminent in this repertoire – so supple in their expressivity, so magically blended and balanced, so pristine in their intonation and confident in articulation and colouration... this was sublime playing.’ The Independent
This concert will finish at approximately 9.15pm
Watch
Watch the Belcea Quartet perform the 1st Movement from Beethoven's String Quartet in F Major, opus 59/1
