REBEL REBEL
BEETHOVEN THE REVOLUTIONARY
LA FOLLE JOURNÉE
LE LIEU UNIQUE, NANTES
31 JANUARY 2020 / 8PM
BEETHOVEN 'SERIOSO' QUARTET
CAROLINE SHAW BLUEPRINT
ENTR'ACTE
WEBERN LANGSAMER SATZ
Beethoven's string quartet in F minor was an experiment; never designed to be played in public, this was music written by a revolutionary to test the boundaries of what was possible, what was deemed acceptable.
This captivating programme inventively explores Beethoven's brilliance alongside his undeniable influence on the music of today, in the form of two works by Pulitzer prize-winning New York composer Caroline Shaw. Blueprint (2016) is based on a study of Beethoven's string quartet Op. 18 No. 6, exploring the joy and melancolia of the work through fragments of the old whilst using language of the new. Entr'acte (2014) uses a similar template, but this time focusing on one of the greatest musical influences on Beethoven; the string quartets of Haydn. Bridging the gap between these two composers is Webern's Langsamer Satz (1905); a piece which is born out of Beethoven's influence on the 2nd Viennese school but sees the composer pushing forward to find a new language after the all-encompassing legacy Beethoven left behind.
