Quatuor Akos quartet
Alexis Gomez and Aya Murakami (violins)
Théo Delianne (viola)
Cyrielle Golin (cello)

 Today we will hear famous string quartets by Haydn and Beethoven.

 In his early going in music, Beethoven was considered to be the second Mozart – this is why the young composer had the good fortune of taking lessons from Joseph Haydn himself in 1792 in Bonn as well as in 1792-94 in Vienna. According to the count Ferdinand Ernst von Waldstein, the patron of art who philantropized Beethoven, he was supposed to “accept the spirit of Mozart from Haydn’s hands”. Beethoven himself mentioned, however, that he was not quite satisfied with the lessons. Yet, the fundamental classical structure of Haydn’s compositions influenced the composer’s creative work undoubtedly.

After their performance at the 13th International Mozart Competition in Salzburg in 2015, and being honored with the 3rd award and special prize of Bärenreiter publishing house, the musicians who set up the Quatour Akos made a decision of joining together in an ensemble on a permanent basis and go deep into the music of the 18-19th centuries, the Age of Enlightenment and the great revolutions. The musicians use old-time bows which were made at the same time as the music pieces that they perform, attaining authentic and profound sound.

 Joseph Haydn
String quartet No.62 C major “Emperor”, Hob.III:77 (1797)

I. Allegro
II. Poco Adagio. Cantabile (later this melody became the national anthem of Germany)
III. Menuetto. Allegro
IV. Finale. Presto 

Ludwig van Beethoven

String quartet No.6 B-flat major, op.18 No.6 (1800)

I. Allegro con brio
II. Adagio ma non troppo
III. Scherzo. Allegro
IV. La Malinconia: Adagio - Allegretto quasi Allegro