Schumann Quartet

TUESDAY 13 FEBRUARY 2024

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791)

Quartet in A major, K.464 (1785)

This was Beethoven’s favorite Mozart quartet. He saw the score at Czerny’s rooms, looked it over, and exclaimed. “That’s a work! That’s when Mozart said to the world: ‘Behold what I might have done if the time were right!’” He then copied it out note for note and used it as a template for his own op18/5. It is, in fact somewhat different from the other five Mozart dedicated to Papa Haydn, from whom, he said, he learned to write string quartets. Differences include, in part, the choice of A major (only two other of his quartets appear in this key, and those years earlier); a first movement in triple meter (duple meter would be expected); the Minuet-Trio which follows in the same key instead of one that is related; there is no slow movement. Instead there is a long elaborate set of variations followed by a final movement in sonata form containing essentially only one main theme. We would expect at least one more from Mozart. There are moments of originality that surpass all expectation. We know from existing records that Mozart, as he admitted to Haydn, labored long over these quartets, with many passages crossed out and revised before he put down his pen.

The first movement starts with an agreeable, family-friendly melody in waltz meter, played by the first violin to the accompaniment of the other strings, giving no hint of the musical treasures to come. Simplicity soon evolves into a more democratic Haydnesque treatment giving increased importance to the other voices. These two strains, the homophonic, song-like style more popular at that time and the denser contrapuntal style alternate seamlessly. A glance at the score shows an uncommonly high degree of chromaticism and there is a good deal of syncopation, two features that will continue for the rest of the work.

The second movement is a traditional minuet. Mozart may have intended it for the third movement, where it resides in other quartets. The strings begin in unison. Soon the second half of the theme becomes the accompaniment to the first and later it takes over as a theme on its own. It sounds so natural one doesn’t realize just how original it is. Beethoven would build on this concept. The Trio shifts to E major; the first violin will have its work cut out in a virtuosic passage disguised to sound easy, driving more than one performing group to complain.

The Andante in D major is a set of sublime variations with a coda; its beauty and originality merit an essay all on its own. It is characterized by a gorgeous initial theme, florid virtuoso passages in both the first and second violin parts, a high degree of chromaticism, widespread syncopation, and a subtle variety of musical forms. Listen for the ornate accompaniment by the second violin in the third variation: is this where Schubert got his idea for the slow movement of the “Rosamunde” Quartet? Variation IV is in call-and-response style, the two lower voices answering the melody of the two upper voices; the fifth variation slips into dramatic D minor (the key of Don Giovanni). The sixth variation is a lesson in complex counterpoint, entangling all four instruments. The last variation introduces an element so original, so unexpected, yet so joyful, that it must have left Haydn (who along with Mozart’s father was the first to hear this music) speechless. It is the appearance of the famous cello tattoo that gave this quartet its Austrian nickname, “the drum.” This motif continues for many measures and is eventually copied by the viola and the violins, rising from the bass line to the upper regions. A coda ends this extraordinary movement, fading away as if nothing had happened.

The last movement is once again in A major. Its opening theme is a short descending chromatic cluster which will go on to dominate the entire movement, sometimes in a rising pattern, sometimes broken up. Something entirely unexpected happens in the development section. Having modulated to D minor, a quiet, almost hymn-like passage makes its appearance. After a few measures the second violin breaks away, intoning series of ominous chromatic and modal scales, ascending and descending, each one in a different key, a foretaste of the final act of Don Giovanni. A coda follows the recapitulation, repeating the variation theme and rhythms and then, without fanfare, the music simply disappears. Words do it no justice at all!

—Nora Avins Klein

Leoš Janáček (1854–1928)

Quartet #1, “Kreutzer Sonata” (1923)

The Moravian composer, Leoš Janáček, composed his String Quartet #1 in a brief few days during the fall of 1923. The Quartet was inspired by Leo Tolstoy’s story, The Kreutzer Sonata. Tolstoy’s story describes an unhappy marriage with resultant adultery, jealousy, and murder. Most of the trouble revolves around a performance, given by the narrator’s pianist wife and her new male violinist friend, of Beethoven’s “Kreutzer” Sonata for violin and piano. (The sonata was originally composed by Beethoven in 1805 and was dedicated to his friend, Rodolphe Kreutzer.)

As might be expected, the overall mood of this composition is very dark. Free form and unusual technical requirements place enormous demands on all four players. The intensity of Tolstoy’s story is portrayed by the tense alternation of themes. The first motif is comprised of two short notes and one long note, first ascending and then descending, and this is followed by a more aggressive nine-bar phrase played by the cello that is reminiscent of a Russian folk melody. More pleasant sections are continually interrupted by these two themes.

The tempo instruction, “con moto” (with motion, quickly), is given for each of the next three movements: however in addition, specific metronome markings are included which specify that the second movement should be fast, the third one slow, and the fourth one fast. The second movement begins with a cheerful swaggering melody, but once again turns sinister, helped by an eerie tremolo played near the bridges (“sul ponticello”) of the instruments. The third movement, too, starts calmly. This movement is thought by some to contain ideas derived from Beethoven’s sonata. The calm is soon dispersed by a frightening version of its initial theme. The two ideas wage conflict until the appearance of an equally agitated subject leads back to the opening music. A slow introduction to the fourth movement gives way to the original opening bars of the quartet, though the instrumentation is now darker. As suspense builds, the use of a falling sequence of loud pizzicatos is used to interesting effect. The tension remains unresolved to the end, with the second violin uttering two final despairing repeats of the initial theme.

This quartet is believed to incorporate material from a piano trio Janáček wrote in 1908, bearing the same inscription: “On reading Tolstoy’s novel Kreutzer Sonata.” The trio was never published and only a page of fragments remains.

—Margaret Bragg

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827)

Quartet in E-flat major, op.127 (1825)

Beethoven’s string quartets span what are customarily known as the three creative periods of his adult life, the third period encompassing his last ten years. Beethoven’s hearing had continued to deteriorate and by 1816 he could hear nothing. He was suffering from poor health, draining experiences as guardian of a difficult nephew, unrequited love affairs, and difficulties with his publishers. Yet despite his distress Beethoven wrote to his publisher in 1822: “I sit pondering and pondering. I have long known what I want to do, but I can’t get it down on paper. I feel that I am on the threshold of great things.” Shortly thereafter he began a period of incredible creation. After completing the Diabelli Variations, the Missa Solemnis and the Ninth Symphony, he set aside all other work and began to compose his five final string quartets, often considered the pinnacle of Beethoven’s creative achievements.

The first three “late quartets” were opp.127, 130, and 132. They were commissioned by a Russian nobleman and amateur cellist, Prince Nikolai Galitzin, who lived in St. Petersburg. In these works Beethoven abandoned the classical style almost entirely. His works of this period are no longer determined by a preset structure, but by the musical thoughts themselves. He composes in a meditative style, working with motifs more often than with melodies. He provides continuity by blurring the dividing lines between phrases and by making use of contrapuntal techniques—treating all four instruments as separate entities.

Beethoven began composing the String Quartet in E-flat major in May 1824, while staying in the forested area around the spa of Baden. The first movement starts with a slow introduction, then moves into a lyrical melody which is marked “teneramente”, or tenderly. There follows a more forceful theme over sharp repeated notes in the second violin, viola, and cello and then the “cantabile” character returns. The slow introduction is inserted again at the beginning and in the middle of the development.

The second movement, in A-flat major, consists of a theme and five variations. These variations are no longer the standard embellishments of a theme. Instead, the statement is transfigured, making these alterations often difficult to follow. An abbreviated guide can help the listener follow the construction of the movement, but the ethereal quality of this movement truly escapes words. The first variation follows three quiet chords that close the initial theme, though the theme all but disappears in the polyphonic nature of the variation. The second variation starts with short dry notes in the cello and can be likened to a gentle birdlike twittering. The third variation is marked by a modulation to E major, while in the fourth variation the theme is once again recognizable. A short minor section leads into the fifth variation, characterized by diatonic meandering, and the movement ends with eight bars derived from the conclusion of the theme.

The third movement is a typical scherzo and makes continual use of one rhythmic pattern. A middle section contains virtuosic passages for the first violin. The Finale is full of joyful country-dance tunes. Its coda, while harking back to the original theme, takes on a completely different tonal aura and rhythm and then is punctuated by the final chords.

The premiere of this quartet was given on March 6, 1825: under-rehearsed and consequently poorly played, it was poorly received. Beethoven then invited another quartet to prepare the music under his tutelage. Though by then completely deaf, he coached the musicians by watching their bow and finger movements. A highly successful performance on March 26 was the result, leading to nine more performances over the next few weeks.

— Margaret Bragg

Schumann Quartet

Schumann Quartett has reached a stage where anything is possible, because it has dispensed with certainties. This also has consequences for audiences, which from one concert to the next have to be prepared for all eventualities: “A work really develops only in a live performance,” the quartet says. “That is ‘the real thing’, because we ourselves never know what will happen. On the stage, all imitation disappears, and you automatically become honest with yourself. Then you can create a bond with the audience – communicate with it in music.” This live situation will gain an added energy in the near future: Sharon Kam, Kit Armstrong, Anna Lucia Richter, Sabine Meyer, Katharina Konradi, and Alexey Stadler are among the quartet’s current partners.

Special highlights in the 2023/2024 season: In autumn 2023, the ensemble performed the opening concert for the new hall at Royal Irish Academy of Music in Dublin, perform at Dvořák Prague International Music Festival, and give a concert in Linz in honor of the great patron Elisabeth Sprague Coolidge, among other events. In January 2024, they will perform two concerts of works by Aribert Reimann in Madrid on the royal Stradivari instruments and embark again on a U.S. tour that will conclude with a residency in New York City at Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. They will also perform at Philharmonie in Berlin and Essen, with Kit Armstrong and a Mozart project in Luxembourg and Cologne, as well as at Wiener Konzerthaus and SWR Festival in Schwetzingen.

Their album “Intermezzo” (2018) has been hailed enthusiastically both at home and abroad and received the award Opus Klassik in the quintet category. In 2020 the quartet has expanded its discography with “Fragment” and their examination of one of the masters of the string quartet, Franz Schubert. On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of radio, the quartet will dedicate itself to a very special project: an album of pieces around and from 1923. Together with Bavarian Radio, they will record works by Alban Berg, Leoš Janáček, Ernst Krenek, and Aaron Copland.

The three brothers Mark, Erik and Ken Schumann have been playing together since their earliest childhood while violist Veit Hertenstein completes the quartet. The four musicians enjoy the way they communicate without words. Although the individual personalities clearly manifest themselves, a common space arises in every musical work in a process of spiritual metamorphosis. The quartet’s openness and curiosity is certainly, in part, the result of the formative influence of teachers such as Eberhard Feltz, the Alban Berg Quartet, or partners such as Menahem Pressler.

It is always tempting to speculate on what factors have led to many people viewing Schumann Quartett as one of the best in the world. But the four musicians themselves regard these stages more as encounters, as a confirmation of the path they have taken. “We really want to take things to extremes, to see how far the excitement and our spontaneity as a group take us,” says Ken Schumann, the middle of the three Schumann brothers. They charmingly sidestep any attempt to categorize their sound, approach or style, and let the concerts speak for themselves.

And the critics approve: “Fire and energy. The Schumann Quartet plays staggeringly well [...] without doubt one of the very best formations among today’s abundance of quartets, […] with sparkling virtuosity and a willingness to astonish” (Harald Eggebrecht in Süddeutsche Zeitung).*

Erik Schumann plays on a violin by Joseph Guarneri filius Andrea from 1690, kindly made available to him by the Guadagnini Foundation Stuttgart. Ken Schumann plays an old Italian violin from the mid-18th century, kindly made available to him privately. Veit Hertenstein plays a viola by Pietro Giovanni Mantegazza from 1767, a generous loan from a private source. Mark Schumann plays a cello by Giovanni & Francesco Grancino from 1680, generously loaned to him by MERITO Sit Vienna.

*Quotes from an interview with journalists from the classical music magazine VAN (van-magazin.de)

The Schumann Quartet appears by arrangement with Arts Management Group.