Daniil Trifonov and Quatuor Ébène perform Haydn, Shostakovich, and Franck

Composed in 1772, Haydn’s six Op. 20 string quartets introduced innovative compositional techniques and heavily influenced the development of the genre in years to come—earning the composer the sobriquet “father of the string quartet”. Haydn found inspiration in the contemporary Sturm und Drang art movement prioritizing subjective expression over rationalism and thus giving his music an early Romantic quality. The fourth quartet of this collection emblematizes this bold spirit, rich in complex counterpoint and harmonic—as well as rhythmic—twists.

Shostakovich’s String Quartet No. 8 in C Minor is played in five movements without pause and is rooted in a four-note-theme built on an abbreviation of the composer’s name, DSCH—becoming E-flat-C-B in German nomenclature. Written in three days, just after the composer reluctantly joined the Communist Party, the quartet is inscribed with a haunting, moving dedication: “in memory of victims of fascism and war”. The concert reaches a fiery finish with César Franck’s Quintet for Piano and Strings in F Minor (1879), a key achievement of the composer and an emotional, expressive tour de force.

Photo: Quatuor Ébène © Julien Mignot

Daniil Trifonov appears courtesy of Deutsche Grammophon.
Quatuor Ébène appears courtesy of Warner Classics.

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