Haydn revolutionized the way string quartets would be viewed in the world with his Op. 20 String Quartets. No longer was this medium to be looked upon for light entertainment, but for works of great emotional depth and superb form. This was the birth of Haydn’s sonata form, a form which would take hold of classical music for centuries to come. Similar to Haydn, Béla Bartók and Claude Debussy each created distinct and new paths through the very same medium. Bartók took the energies and folk songs of his people and created a truly original, rustic and modern musical landscape. The great Claude Debussy did nothing less than create his own harmonic language which became the “silent revolution” of 20th century music. This language is idealized in what has become one of the greatest chamber works of the 20th century.

——-

Works to be performed on the “Unconventional Sounds” program include:

Haydn, String Quartet Op. 20, No. 4
Bartók, String Quartet No. 2
Debussy, String Quartet in G minor, Op. 10

Program offered September through December, 2011.