Presented by Leo Samama.
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) is by far the most famous pupil of Haydn and Mozart. Although we can ask ourselves if he actually was a pupil of these great masters. In all probability he never met Mozart and with Haydn, as he himself reported, he mostly drank hot cocoa, but learnt little. When in 1792 he decided to travel from Bonn to Vienna, he received the following assignment by count Waldstein: “Through never ceasing diligence you receive Mozart’s spirit through the hands of Haydn.” Eventually both masters played an important role in his musical development, next to – that is! – Bach, Grétry, Rode, Cherubini, and many other predecessors and contemporaries whom he imitated.
Beethoven 1
Beethoven – Minuet in A-flat, Hess 33
Performers: Borciani Quartet
CD: Stradivarius
Beethoven – Quartet in D, Opus 18:3
1. Allegro – 2. Andante con molto – 3. Allegro – 4. Presto
Performers: Orpheus Quartett
CD: Channel Classics
Beethoven – Quartet in C, Opus 18:4
1. Allegro ma non tanto – 2. Andante scherzoso quasi allegretto – 3. Menuetto: Allegretto – 4. Allegro
Performers: Emerson String Quartet
CD: DGG
Beethoven – Fragment in B
Performers: Endellion Quartet
CD: Warner Classics
