52. Coffee Concert

From Haydn to Ravel

As the 18th Century slipped into the 19th, the aging Haydn and the confident, young Beethoven were both commissioned to write a set of six string quartets. Haydn was only able to complete two of the set and today’s quartet in G major was the first of these. It is a bright, cheerful work with the nonchalant mastery of technique acquired over five decades of quartet writing. A notable feature is the willingness of the first violin to break out into cascades of notes when ever the opportunity arises – a brilliant opening to the day’s music. Ravel’s Quartet reappears year after year due to its popularity amongst quartets intrigued by its special textures, melodic brilliance and its status as the first undeniably great quartet in the 20th Century. Everyone, but everyone, loves the extraordinary pizzicato Scherzo.