BUILDING BRIDGES

From the Viennese Classical Period to the New World

Anne HARVEY-NAGL (first violin), Johanna LACROIX (second violin), Nicholas HUGHES (viola), Johanna KOTSCHY-APPEL (cello)

An ensemble of renowned musicians from Vienna’s orchestral scene invites you to an extraordinary chamber music concert. The concert brings together three milestones in the string quartet repertoire that fascinatingly intertwine tradition, innovation, and cultural identity.

The evening begins with Joseph Haydn’s Quartet in G Major, Op. 76 No. 1. As the “Father of the String Quartet,” Haydn sets the gold standard here: a work full of wit, harmonic surprises, and that spirited dialogue between the four instruments that continues to define the genre to this day.

Benjamin Britten’s String Quartet No. 2 in C major provides the modern counterpoint. Composed in Protected content mark the 250th anniversary of Henry Purcell’s death, it is a work of enormous emotional depth and architectural brilliance. The concluding “Chacony” in particular challenges the ensemble both technically and interpretatively, striking a bold bridge from the Baroque to the modern era.

The grand finale features Antonín Dvořák’s “American Quartet” (Op. 96). It is one of the most popular chamber music works of all time. Dvořák composed it during his stay in the United States, weaving spirituals and the vastness of the American landscape into the Bohemian soul of his music—a work full of longing, vitality, and optimism.