THE IMMORTAL BELOVED
BRENTANO STRING QUARTET
The Brentano String Quartet, whose name refers to Beethoven’s »immortal beloved« Antonie Brentano, is known for its brilliant ensemble playing, technical perfection and remarkable vibrancy. In 2025, the American quartet, which looks back on several acclaimed performances at the Dresdner Musikfestspiele, returns with a work commissioned from Lei Liang, a composer born in China, but now living in the USA and considered one of the most astonishing voices in New Music. Before this work, the four string players perform Ludwig van Beethoven’s Opus 18/6, which bears the epithet »La Malinconia« (»Melancholy«), which the Beethoven scholar Joseph Kerman once called a »small harmonic labyrinth«. Its title derives from the title of the last movement, which – unusually – begins with an Adagio. The concert closes with the Third String Quartet by Johannes Brahms. The Andante contained therein is one of the most idyllic movements ever written by this composer.
BRENTANO STRING QUARTET:
MARK STEINBERG VIOLIN
SERENA CANIN VIOLIN
MISHA AMORY VIOLA
NINA MARIA LEE CELLO
Ludwig van Beethoven String Quartet in B-flat-major Op. 18/6 »La Malinconia«
Lei Liang String Quartet »Madrigal Mongolia«
Johannes Brahms String Quartet No. 3 in B-flat-major Op. 67