Heiliger Dankgesang, a sacred song of thanks
One of the encouraging things about the Festival is the number of young Quartets keen to take part in our masterclasses. Talland Quartet was formed during their undergraduate studies at RNCM in Manchester. They have bravely chosen to play one of the greatest string quartets in the canon. Beethoven’s late A minor quartet was composed to celebrate his recent recovery from illness. Throughout his life Beethoven had suffered acute digestion problems, which he tried to cure with copious draughts of wine. Doctors who persuaded him to lay off the drinking had great if temporary success. The A minor Quartet was the result of an unexpected commission for three quartets following on from 9th Symphony, the Missa Solemnis and the Diabelli Variations. We should also remember Ignaz Schuppanzigh, the portly violinist who led the first ever professional string quartet, who got to premiere all of Beethoven’s mature quartets. Beethoven called him ‘my Falstaff’ and made endless jokes at his expense but without him many of the greatest quartets in the canon may never have been written.
