Details
Arnold Steinhardt, first violin of the internationally acclaimed Guarneri String Quartet, invites music listeners to the world of the string quartet repertoire and ensemble. Journey with him and interpretive analysis instructor Mia Chung through the history
and features of quartet music, colored by stories of legendary quartets and insights from the stage. This season's Curtis courses are sponsored by Linda Richardson in loving memory of her husband, Dr. Paul Richardson.
Outline
1. The World of the String Quartet
Welcome to the World of the String Quartet, where you will hear the extraordinary stories behind great repertoire, discover renowned performers' experiences, and develop keen insight as a listener. This first program samples stunning repertoire from some
of the most significant composers: Ravel, Beethoven, Schubert, Tchaikovsky, and Dvořák. What power can four instruments hold?
2. The Founders: Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven
We begin exploring string quartets during the Classical Era, when balanced structure emphasized variety, contrast, and drama. Discover the starting point of four democratic and personal string voices—and, before long, its development—with Haydn (Op. 33,
No. 2, "The Joke"), Mozart (K. 465, "Dissonance"), and Beethoven (Op. 18, No. 1; Op. 130; and Op. 131). There was a dramatic change in performance from Beethoven's time to our own era. How did that happen?
3. The Humanists: Schubert, Mendelssohn, Schumann, and Brahms
Personal expression infused Romantic Era compositions, including the string quartets of Schubert (D. 810, "Death and the Maiden"), Mendelssohn (Op. 13 and Op. 80), Schumann (Op. 41, No. 3), and Brahms (Op. 51, No. 1). Yet in the generation after Beethoven's
towering genius, composers wrote fewer quartets. Why? And where did the followers of Beethoven take the quartet next?
4. The Internationalists, Part 1: Smetana, Dvorak, Tchaikovsky, Borodin, and Bartok
Beyond German-speaking countries, composers adapted the string quartet to their own cultures—some more so than others. National traits, as well as personal stories, emerge in the heartfelt works of Smetana ("From My Life"), Dvořák (Op. 105), Tchaikovsky
(Op. 22), Borodin (No. 2), and Bartók (No. 5). How does this very individual music convey its national identity?
5. The Internationalists, Part 2: Debussy, Ravel, Barber, Shostakovich, and Britten
Our international tour continues with France (Debussy and Ravel) and the United States (Barber, Op. 11), a return to the former Soviet Union (Shostakovich, Op. 110), and then to England (Britten, Op. 94), as we follow string quartet stories and techniques
from the 1800s into the 1900s. The discoveries of this recent past are preserved by the professional string quartets who worked with these brilliant composers. What do we learn from them—and, from our very own era, the career reflections of the Guarneri Quartet
members?
6. The Explorers: Schoenberg, Webern, Berg, Ives, Cage, and Reich
This program's quartets were written during the 20th century, a time of technological exploration and avant-garde expression. Visionary composers such as Schoenberg (Op. 10), Webern (Op. 5), Berg (Lyric Suite), Ives (No. 1), Cage (String Quartet in Four
Parts), and Reich (Different Trains) used four string instruments in ways far different than Haydn. What did these composers dare to do, and how does one play works that present an entirely new and unexplored language?
7. Space Odyssey, the Next Frontier
We look ahead by first looking back: grappling with the dizzying innovation of Beethoven's late quartets (Op. 130 and the Great Fugue), which challenge performers and listeners still. Then we leap forward to the digital premiere of David Ludwig's breathtaking
"Pale Blue Dot," performed by the Dover Quartet, for whom it was written in 2014. To what new frontiers will the seemingly simple yet endlessly varied combination of two violins, a viola, and a cello, take us next?
8. Please Tell Us What You Think
8. Please Tell Us What You Think
Speaker/s
Arnold Steinhardt
Performance Faculty
Curtis Institute of Music
Curtis Institute of Music
Born in Los Angeles, Arnold Steinhardt began his studies with Karl Moldrem, Peter Meremblum, and Toscha Seidel and made his debut with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at age 14. At the Curtis Institute of Music, he studied with Ivan Galamian and later with Joseph Szigeti. In 1958 Mr. Steinhardt won the Leventritt Award and appeared as soloist with major United States orchestras, such as the Cleveland Orchestra, where he was invited by George Szell to serve as assistant concertmaster (1959 to 1964).
When the Guarneri String Quartet was founded in 1964, Mr. Steinhardt became its first violin, a post he held through the group's retirement in 2009. He continues to perform throughout the world and has made many recordings as soloist and with the Guarneri Quartet, about which he has written the widely acclaimed book Indivisible by Four. His latest book, Violin Dreams, appeared in 2006. Mr. Steinhardt writes a monthly blog, In the Key of Strawberry.
A member of the Curtis Institute of Music faculty since 1968, he also teaches at Bard College and the Colburn School of Music.
Dr. Mia Chung
Instructor of Interpretive Analysis
Musical Studies
Curtis Institute of Music
Instructor of Interpretive Analysis
Musical Studies
Curtis Institute of Music
Mia Chung delivers thoughtful, passionate interpretations of classical and contemporary music as both a pianist on stage and a knowledgeable guide via multimedia, radio, and the classroom. Dr. Chung was the first-prize winner of the 1993 Concert Artists
Guild Competition and a recipient of the 1997 Avery Fisher Career Grant. She has appeared with the Baltimore, National, Alabama, New Haven, and Harrisburg symphony orchestras; the Boston Pops; and the Seoul Philharmonic under the direction of such conductors
as Leonard Slatkin, John Nelson, Andrew Litton, and Richard Westerfield. An active recitalist, she has performed in major concert halls across North America, Europe, Asia and Central America.
Dr. Chung was the first young-artist-in-residence for NPR’s Performance Today, earning her a nomination as Debut Artist of the Year. In 2008, her DVD recording, Notations: A Composer’s Response to Crisis was released. It includes illuminating performances and analyses of Beethoven’s Piano Sonatas, Op. 53 and Op. 110.
Dr. Chung was the first young-artist-in-residence for NPR’s Performance Today, earning her a nomination as Debut Artist of the Year. In 2008, her DVD recording, Notations: A Composer’s Response to Crisis was released. It includes illuminating performances and analyses of Beethoven’s Piano Sonatas, Op. 53 and Op. 110.
Originally from the Washington, D.C., area, Dr. Chung graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College and received a Master's from Yale University and a Doctorate from the Juilliard School. She joined the Curtis Institute of Music faculty in 2012.
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