The Hagen Quartet.
The CD of the Month for November, 2014 is dedicated to my favorite string quartet:
The Hagen Quartet from Salzburg, Austria. They will perform a concert in Carmel, CA on Sunday, Nov. 2nd at 3 PM. These amazing artists do not come to the US very often, but this year is an exception. They have already given concerts in some the following cities, and more US venues are approaching fast: 10.25.2014
- La Jolla / San Diego Sherwood Auditorium
10.26.2014
- Los Angeles / Santa Monica Mendelssohn Hall
10.28.2014
- Costa Mesa Segerstrom Center for the Arts
10.29.2014
- Tucson Leo Rich Theatre / Conv. Center
10.30.2014
- Napa Valley, California
11.01.2014
- 19:30 San Francisco St. Mark’s Lutheran Church
11.02.2014
At the concert in Carmel, this outstanding quartet will perform the following:
- Mozart quartet K. 465
- Brahms: String quartet Op. 67
Mozart composed his set of 6 so-called `Haydn quartets’ as a response to hearing Haydn’s 1781 `Prussian’ quartets. Haydn’s response to Mozart’s father, Leopold, upon hearing these in 1785 was as follows:
`Before God and as an honest man I tell you that your son is the greatest composer known to me either in person or by name. He has taste and, what is more, the most profound knowledge of composition.’
These are wonderfully lyrical quartets with a clear musical line. The Hagen Quartet delivers this amazing music by playing with terrific balance achieved in part via excellent eye contact between the players.
My interview with Mr. Rainer Schmidt, who plays second violin with the Hagen Quartet, will be published during the next 24 hours. Look for it — And I have tickets for the Hagen Carmel performance on Sunday, Nov. 2nd; please return to my blog to read my concert review.
