Saturday, June 22, 2013

The Beethoven Project: Op 18 No 5

Well, I'm another week pregnant since last week.  Up to 31 weeks and 4 days, and I'm exhausted all the time.  I am so looking forward to August coming, and getting back to myself again, albeit me as a mom.



This week I listened to Beethoven's Fifth String Quartet, still part of the Opus 18 that was published in 1801.  All of the liner notes said that Beethoven was inspired by Mozart's A major quartet, K 464.  So I listened to that one too, and definitely heard the similarities.

The biggest thing I recommend while listening to this piece is to really listen and not get distracted during the third movement, which is a variation on a theme that is so simple and sublime, it gives you goosebumps.  The melody is simply part of a rising and falling scale, and the fourth variation in particular has the juiciest harmonies I've heard in one of his quartets yet.

http://thebeethovenproject.com/exploring-beethovens-quartets-richard-wigmore-writes-about-op-185-op-593-and-op-131/


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