The two violinists alternate in the top job, with Abel leading the quartet in the early Classical Op. The piece began as a song cycle for soprano and piano.
Dvorak then transcribed the music for string quartet alone. Now we hear a metamorphosis of the previous iterations which the Prazak Quartet commissioned - the songs accompanied by string quartet. If only Dvorak could hear them! It's Smetana's th birthday, so his second quartet. And we can't have Prazak without Janacek. Janacek Quartet No. Lewis has devoted the past four years almost exclusively to Schubert. It's fair to say the composer has no greater living ambassador.
The final trilogy of piano sonatas, written at the very end of Schubert's short life, is the pinnacle of this keyboard poet's achievement. Only the last three Beethoven sonatas rival this program.
Lewis played those Beethoven sonatas for us over a decade ago. Now comes Schubert's hour. Schubert: Piano Sonatas D , , and Now past the phase of his smashing debuts, he has become a visionary mainstay, even conducting the Vienna Philharmonic from the keyboard. The program includes a work by the young Spanish composer, Francisco Coll that we commissioned for Gerstein, which he will take around the world after its world premiere in Napa. And Gerstein will bring his authority to the formidable Liszt Sonata.
They bring their energy, precision and charisma to the fore in a concert along with Garrick Ohlsson. They will play one of the Mozart piano concertos that work with just a string quartet, along with the brilliant Dvorak piano quintet. The Vertavos alone will perform Britten's Second Quartet.
