Cal Performances presents the Danish String Quartet
Alfred Hertz Memorial Concert Hall
U.C. Berkeley, Bancroft Way at College Ave, Berkeley, CA 94720 USA
3:00 PM, Sunday, February 17, 2019

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[3:05 PM lights down, announcements, band out]

Franz Joseph Haydn (1732–1809): String Quartet No. 25 in C Major, Op. 20, No. 2, H.III:32 (1772)

1. [3:06 PM] Moderato
2. [3:13 PM] Capriccio
3. [3:16 PM] Menuet: Allegretto
4. [3:23 PM] Fuga Allegro
   [3:26 PM work ends; applause; bows, off, back for more applause, off again]
   
   [3:28 PM; Greetings from Asbjørn, comments about the Webern piece]

1. [3:31 PM] Anton Webern (1883–1945): String Quartet (1905)
   [set ends 3:49 PM]

[4:07 PM lights down, band out]

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827): String Quartet No. 16 in F Major, Op. 135 (1826)

1. [4:15 PM] Allegretto
2. [4:19 PM] Vivace
3. [4:26 PM] Lento assai e cantante tranquillo
4. [4:34 PM] Grave ma non troppo tratto – Allegro
   [4:34 PM; work ends]

1. [4:36 PM] Carl Nielsen (1865–1931) Mit hjerte altid vanker (1919)
   [show ends 4:38 PM]

Danish String Quartet

• Asbjørn Norgaard: viola;
• Fredrik Oland: violin;
• Frederik Schoyen Sjolin: cello;
• Rune Tonsgaard Sorensen: violin.

The Danish String Quartet is definitely one of the top groups in their field – every time I've seen them I've been blown away by how good they are.

Today's choice work was the opening piece from Haydn: refined and elegant music at it's best. Which isn't to be slagging on Webern or Beethoven. Just expressing my appreciation for that first work.

I suppose I should add that by comparison, their treatment of Bach seemed a trifle light weight… perhaps a bit Haydn-like? I suppose it's a choice of taste. While other groups like to put a lot of sturm und drang into their performances of old Ludwig van B, it seemed to me that the Danes treated the 16th as simply another piece of drawing room music. Which isn't to ding them or their interpretation, only to point out that I though their relatively cool handling of the piece was quite different from the norm.

Sometimes it's interesting to look back, and I was surprised to note that when I saw them about five years ago, I also complained about their treatment of Beethoven. Must be a Danish thing, eh?

Program Notes or program notes

Rebecca Wishnia posted a laudatory review of the show at SFCV.

Back to the previous event! ☸ Up to the 2019 yearbox! ☸ Up to the 2019 event list! ☸ On to the next event!