Ludwig van Beethoven
String Quartet in B-flat major, Op. 130

Jörg Widmann
8th String Quartet (Study on Beethoven III)

INTERMISSION

Ludwig van Beethoven
Große Fuge for String Quartet in B-flat major, Op. 133

Jörg Widmann
Cavatina, 10th String Quartet
Study on Beethoven V

According to Jörg Widmann, Beethoven’s Opus 130 represents the “string quartet of string quartets.” His own Eighth and Tenth Quartets were written in response to the Viennese master’s late work, in particular its famous slow movement, titled “Cavatina.” The New York–based Juilliard String Quartet frames Widmann’s “Beethoven Studies” with their historical model, including both its traditional version and the Grosse Fuge, the work’s original finale.