The name says it all
Amaryllis Quartet
Gustav Frielinghaus, violin
Lena Sandoz, violin
Mareike Hefti, viola
Yves Sandoz, cello
The Amaryllis Quartet, winner of several international awards, ranks among the most interesting string quartets of its generation thanks to its gripping and expressive interpretations. The quartet completed its early studies with Walter Levin in Basel, later with the Alban Berg Quartet in Cologne and with Günter Pichler in Madrid. In 2012, the quartet was awarded the ECHO Klassik for its CD “White,” featuring works by Haydn and Webern.
Program:
Joseph Haydn (1732–1809)
Quartet in C major, Op. 33/3, Hob. III:39 “Bird
Quartet”
Allegro moderato
Allegretto
Adagio
Presto
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827)
Quartet in D major, Op. 18/3
Allegro
Andante con moto
Allegro – Minore – Maggiore
Presto
*****
Felix Mendelssohn (1809–1847)
Quartet in A minor, Op. 13
Adagio – Allegro vivace
Adagio non lento
Intermezzo. Allegretto con moto –
Allegro di molto
Finale. Presto – Adagio non lento
Program Details Joseph Haydn is considered the father of the string quartet, having composed 83 works in this genre, which indisputably form the foundation upon which both performers and composers continue to draw to this day. Goethe had the following to say about Haydn’s string quartets: “These works of his are an ideal language of truth, necessary in their parts, coherent, and alive. They may be surpassed, but not outdone.” Since his Opus 20, Haydn had composed nothing for his most important genre for nearly a decade. In the meantime, he had restructured the various elements of the string quartet, a process evident in his new cycle of quartets, the so-called “Russian Quartets,” Op. 33, which he dedicated to Grand Duke Paul of Russia. Here, the melodic lines are embellished with grace notes and rich ornamentation, which can also be interpreted as bird calls. Both the public and the publisher gave the 3rd Quartet in C major of this cycle the name “Bird Quartet.” Haydn was also a role model for Ludwig van Beethoven in the composition of string quartets. After Beethoven, at the age of 28, received a commission from Prince Lobkowitz for his first quartet cycle, he devoted himself to Opus 18 for three years, during which he composed six independent string quartets that remain among the most important works of this genre to this day. There are echoes in these works that recall Haydn, but the symphonist Beethoven is already clearly discernible in his first quartet cycle. These are mature works that stand out both for their technical demands and for their expressiveness and warmth of sound. While composing the quartets, Beethoven met the noblewoman Josephine Brunsvik, who is believed to be the intended recipient of his letters to the “Immortal Beloved,” written in 1812. Felix Mendelssohn composed the Quartet in A minor, Op. 13, at the age of just 18, shortly after the death of Ludwig van Beethoven. The young composer, an ardent admirer of his great role model, allows echoes of Beethoven’s final string quartets to shine through in this already highly expressive work. Although Mendelssohn is eager to experiment, this early work already bears the hallmark of a master and delights with its lyrical and song-like passages and its characteristic, fairy-like style reminiscent of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which shines through time and again, especially in the trio movement.