Dramatic contrasts and deepening introspection define the second program of the Beethoven 200 chamber series. Two early quartets reveal strikingly different sides of the young Beethoven: the turbulent urgency of Op. 18 No. 4 and the poised elegance of Op. 18 No. 6, shadowed by its haunting “La Malinconia.” The program then turns to the brooding intensity of the 2nd Razumovsky Quartet, Op. 59 No. 2, before closing with Op. 131 in C-sharp minor, one of Beethoven’s most radical late works, whose seven movements unfold without pause in a single continuous arc.
Beethoven | String Quartet Op. 18 No. 4 in C minor Beethoven | String Quartet Op. 18 No. 6 in B-flat major Beethoven | String Quartet Op. 59 No. 2 in E minor, Razumovsky Beethoven | String Quartet Op. 131 in C-sharp minor
