Belcea Quartet

Tonights programme is a celebration of our quartet’s thirtieth anniversary - a milestone which we have reached this year. 

Beethoven’s op.131 has always been the crowning glory of our repertoire - the piece we identify with the most. In this composition Beethoven reaches the heart of musical expression perhaps more directly than in any other of his quartets. It is cast in a continuously flowing arc on an epic scale, in which all formal constraints are removed to serve the narrative of the music. The result, in our minds, is one of Western Civilisation’s most complete musical statements.

We chose Schoenberg’s Quartet No.1 to accompany it as we believe it to be a truly worthy companion piece to Beethoven’s op.131. Beethoven was very clearly Schoenberg’s main inspiration in building the gigantic and complex structure of this piece. Written at the beginning of 20th century just as tonality was at a tipping point, about to exhaust itself and give way to new harmonic languages, this quartet is another musical odyssey - a journey of struggle and turmoil, at times veering on the brink of chaos and destruction, but one that ultimately “earns” us its final resolution: a vision of transcendent beauty and peace. This music is very challenging for both the performers and listeners but we are convinced that it is worth the effort it requires. 

Beethoven and Schoenberg bring us closer to the essence of who we are: fragile and vulnerable beings trying to make sense of our place in the world. It would be so much more difficult without their music…