Beethoven, Arensky

Curated by Artistic Director Marcus Thompson, this virtual concert is presented as video and audio on demand. The program includes an introduction by Thompson, a new video performance by our member musicians made especially for the event, a conversation with the artists, and favorite archival audio recordings from recent Sanders Theatre concerts approved by the musicians.

New video performance:
Beethoven
Piano Trio in B-flat, Op. 97, “Archduke”

From our concert audio archive:
Beethoven
String Trio in D major, Op. 9 No. 2
Arensky
String Quartet in A minor, Op. 35

Featured Musicians:
Jennifer Frautschi, violin | Dimitri Murrath, viola | Raman Ramakrishnan, Colin Carr and Audrey Chen, cellos | Max Levinson, piano

About the Music
Gemutlichkeit, or a spirit of warmth and friendliness, overflows in Beethoven’s Piano Trio Op. 97 (“Archduke”), one of the most beloved of the genre. Broad dolce melodies flow between the three instruments in the opening Allegro moderato, conjuring an atmosphere of nobility befitting the royal pupil to whom the work is dedicated.

Despite being sandwiched between more temperamental trios, Beethoven’s String Trio in D major, Op. 9, No. 2 was written with clearly classical intent. The masterful interweaving of melodic lines in the second movement illustrates the classical period at its best.

Anton Arensky’s Quartet in A minor was dedicated to the memory of his dear friend and mentor, Tchaikovsky. The unusual instrumentation – violin, viola, and two cellos – lends itself to darker sonorities, enabling Arensky to evoke the deep male voices of Russian Orthodox choral music.