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Beethoven's Prime: A Giant of History


Details

Rudy Hasspacher full profile / String quartet / 4 musicians

Other players: Yuriy Geyer, Pascal Innocenti, Tim Archbold


Full program notes

String Quartet No. 10 in E♭ major ("Harp")

  1. Poco adagio – Allegro
  2. Adagio ma non troppo
  3. Presto
  4. Allegretto con variazioni

Historical context

Beethoven had exploded on the Viennese scene as Haydn's protege in late 1790s. His musical talents were sought after by salons and publishers alike. After his early period ending in 1802, he ceased to 'stand on the shoulders of giants' like Haydn and Mozart, and became a giant himself! His middle 'heroic' period 1802-1812 cast a shadow across the musical world and throughout history itself.

This quartet, written shortly after his 5th and 6th symphonies, is a distillation of his 'heroic' style. Had Beethoven died at an early age like Mozart, Mendelssohn or Schubert, he would still be remembered as one of history's greatest thanks to the thriving contributions of this period.


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