I had long hesitated to write a show about any of Beethoven’s late string quartets. These are pieces that professional quartets spend the better part of their careers grappling with, struggling with, failing with, and much more rarely, succeeding with. They are some of the most extraordinary pieces of art ever conceived of. 5 quartets, Opus 127, Opus 130, Opus 131, Opus 132, and Opus 135, all written near or at the end of Beethoven’s life, arguably representing the pinnacle of everything Beethoven achieved. They explore not only every conceivable emotion, but they dig down into the core of those emotions, defiantly refusing to skim the surface and daring to ask and then answer the fundamental questions of life and death. Everyone has a favorite Late Beethoven Quartet, but mine has always been Opus 132, and so this week I’m taking the opportunity to take the leap into Late Beethoven. We’ll discuss Beethoven’s situation as he recovered from a life-threatening illness which he was sure was going to be his end, the unusual 5 movement structure of the piece, and this week, the first two movements of the quartet, the first of which, to me, defines everything that Sonata Form can do to express emotion and a narrative in a piece of absolute music. Join us!
History of Classical Music in 60 Minutes
Schubert Symphony No. 9, "The Great"
Stravinsky, The Rite of Spring, Part 2
Tchaikovsky, The Nutcracker
Stravinsky, The Rite of Spring, Part 1
Mahler Symphony No. 3, Part 3 (Season 6 Finale)
Mahler Symphony No. 3, Part 2
Copland "Appalachian Spring" (Re-Upload)
A Conversation with Harry Christophers, Founder and Director of The Sixteen
Mahler Symphony No. 3, Part 1
A Conversation with Composer and Violinist Jesse Montgomery
Politics in Classical Music
Mozart Symphony No. 40
"Wagnerism" with Alex Ross
Johannes Brahms and Clara Schumann: A Love Story
Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto
Bruckner Symphony No. 4
Stravinsky Pulcinella
The Music of William Grant Still
Mozart Symphony No. 36, "Linz"
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