Beethoven: The String Quartets, Live from Suntory Hall, Tokyo, Vol. 3

Featuring

Jana Kuss
Oliver Wille
William Coleman
Mikayel Hakhnazaryan
Kuss Quartett
Ludwig van Beethoven

Bruno Mantovani

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Recording & Production

The Kuss Quartet's complete Beethoven quartet cycle was recorded live in Tokyo's Suntory Hall, a major undertaking that required extensive coordination.

Composer Biography

Beethoven's String Quartet No. 132, Op. 132, includes a slow movement titled 'Hymn of Thanksgiving from a Convalescent to the Deity,' directly connecting his life and music after a serious illness.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Beethoven's music, especially his quartets, is seen by the Kuss Quartet as a 'wedge suddenly and indecorously hammered into the consciousness of civilizations, never to be removed,' and a reflection of his vision of humanity.

Instruments

The Kuss Quartet performed this complete Beethoven cycle on four 'Paganini' Stradivari instruments, loaned by the Nippon Music Foundation.

Composition History

Beethoven composed his Op. 18 string quartets between 1798 and 1800, commissioned by Prince Joseph Franz Lobkowitz, a generous patron who also received the dedication of the 'Eroica' Symphony.

Compositional Technique

Beethoven's String Quartet No. 6, Op. 18, features a poignant slow introduction to its finale, curiously titled 'La Malinconia' (Melancholy), a rare instance of a specific mood indicated in his music.