WCHOF Composer Series: Beethoven 250th Festival—String Quartet, Op. 135

Join us as we continue our Beethoven 250th Festival with a free, live-streamed concert featuring his String Quartet No. 16 in F major, Op. 135 in a performance by members of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra: Ann Fink & Asako Kuboki, violins; Michael Casimir, viola; and Jennifer Humphreys, cello. The program will kick off with a delightful duo from Beethoven’s early period which was originally written for clarinet and bassoon.

The Op. 135 string quartet was the last major work completed by Beethoven just a few months before his death in the spring of 1827. Though grouped together with the monumental “late quartets,” this work is of a much different vein. In it, Beethoven has found a more carefree tone, perhaps coming to a place of peace and acceptance following a lifetime of compositional and personal struggles. While similar in scope to his earlier works, it exhibits an underlying profundity that places it at the pinnacle of western classical music.

2020 marks the 250th birthday of Ludwig van Beethoven, one of the most beloved and influential composers of all time. Countless musicians, ensembles, and performing arts organizations around the world will honor his incredible legacy. The World Chess Hall of Fame celebrates with a multi-concert festival dedicated to some of the composer's greatest works, his Late String Quartets, performed by members of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra.

This concert will be available for viewing on our YouTube and Facebook Live channels.

Program:

  1. Allegro commodo
  2. Larghetto sostenuto
  3. Rondo 

Ann Fink, violin

Jennifer Humphreys, cello

String Quartet No. 16 in F major, Op. 135 (1826)

  1. Allegretto 
  2. Vivace 
  3. Lento assai, cantante e tranquillo
  4. Grave, ma non troppo tratto - Allegro - Grave, ma non troppo tratto - Allegro

Tuesday, Oct 20 - 7:00 pm