The Beethoven Question: Can Art Make Life Worth Living?

Ludwig Van Beethoven: String Quartet in C, Op.59 No.3 (Razumovsky)
Ludwig Van Beethoven: The Soldier, WoO.157 No.2
Ludwig Van Beethoven: Faithfu' Johnie, Op.108 No.20
Ludwig Van Beethoven: The pulse of an Irishman, WoO.154 No.4
Interval
Ludwig Van Beethoven: An die ferne Geliebte, Op.98
Ludwig Van Beethoven: String Quartet in F, Op.135

The Beethoven Question: Can Art Make Life Worth Living?

Stephan Loges and The Sacconi Quartet perform works by Beethoven.
Concert introduction by Ian Ritchie and Stephen Johnson
Signed by Dr Paul Whittaker OBE

Like Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, the String Quartet Op 59 No 3 in C major progresses from darkness to light, but it is a subtler, more enigmatic journey. Beethoven's Folksong Settings for solo voice and piano trio are full of delightful touches, and no doubt fed back into Beethoven's use of folk-like material in his more serious works.

A similar folk-like simplicity can be felt in the cycle An die ferne Geliebte ('To the distant Beloved'). Beethoven fuses these songs into a unified whole, enhancing the sense of an underlying story.

Beethoven's last String Quartet, Op 135 in F major could be called 'neo-classical' after the adventures of the other 'late' quartets, but this doesn't mean that the writing is any less original.

Sacconi String Quartet
Stephan Loges bass-baritone
Anna Tilbrook piano