Anton Webern Langsamer Satz (1905) for String Quartet

Sergei Prokofiev String Quartet #2 in F major, op. 92

1. Allegro sostenuto
2. Adagio
3. Allegro

- Intermission -

Benjamin Britten String Quartet #2 in C major, op. 36

1. Allegro calmo, senza rigore
2. Vivace
3. Chacony: Sostenuto

The Dayton Philharmonic Principal String Quartet presents an afternoon matinee of chamber music at the Dayton Art Institute featuring Anton Webern’s Langsamer Satz (1905), Sergei Prokofiev’s String Quartet #2, and Benjamin Britten’s String Quartet #2.

We chose these pieces because we wanted to play an all-20th-century program. This is a nice contrast to the Brahms and Schubert program we played in January. 

The Webern "Slow Movement" that opens the recital is a beautiful, late romantic piece, inspired by a walk in the woods around Vienna. It was written in 1905, and it was originally intended to be a part of an entire string quartet. He abandoned the idea and all that remains is this beautiful slow movement. This is one of the few tonal pieces he wrote, as he became a leading proponent of the 12-tone system and a founder of the Second Viennese School. 

The Prokofiev Second Quartet has a tumultuous history. It was written at the height of World War Two, in 1941. Prokofiev, along with other Soviet artists, was evacuated to Nalchik, a small town in the North Caucasus, about 900 miles away from Moscow, to escape the fighting. The local government officials asked Prokofiev to write a string quartet using folk tunes and rhythms specific to their region. This quartet was given its premiere in Moscow in April 1942 by the Beethoven Quartet. A later performance in September 1942 was delayed by a Nazi air raid and started late, but both performances were described by Prokofiev as "an extremely turbulent success". 

The Britten Second Quartet was written in 1945 for a special concert marking the 250th anniversary of the death of Henry Purcell. 

The first movement is based on the interval of a tenth, and it is written in a modified sonata form in which the first and second themes combine to form a third theme.

The second movement is a short, very fast scherzo, requiring all four players to be muted for the entire movement. It is reminiscent of the "Sea Interludes" from Britten's opera "Peter Grimes" which premiered a few months earlier in 1945 to tremendous success.

The third movement, a "Chacony", is a special tribute to Purcell. It is a nine-bar theme followed by twenty-one variations, including solo cadenzas for cello, viola, and first violin. This movement is longer than the preceding two together. 

It is a great pleasure for the four of us to rehearse and learn this program. We have few chances during the season to play chamber music, and being able to work in such an intimate setting is very refreshing, especially after a few weeks spent in the pit of the Schuster Center playing large-scale works like "Das Rheingold" and "Peter Pan".