Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901) composed his only string quartet in March 1873, in Napels. In this period, he was forced to aimlessly hang around in the city in between the productions of Don Carlos and of Aida for three weeks, because of the illness of his prima donna in Aida. To kill time, he noted later, he wrote a string quartet ‘without any concern’. This quartet was later to become one of the most successful Italian quartets from the end of the nineteenth century.
Early on, Ferruccio Busoni (1866-1924) began writing string quartets. In the String Quartet in C major which he completed when he was sixteen years old, we can hear the ‘student’ of the work of Schumann and Brahms.
We conclude with a very special piece: the arrangement for string quartet of Verdi’s opera Luisa Miller by his compatriot and only pupil Emanuele Muzio (1821-1890).
Giuseppe Verdi – String Quartet in E minor (1873)
(1) Allegro, (2) Andantino, (3) Prestissimo, (4) Scherzo: fugue
Performing musicians: Hagen Quartett
CD: DG
Ferruccio Busoni – String Quartet in C major, opus 19 (1882)
(1) Allegro moderato, patetico, (2) Andante, (3) Menuetto, (4) Finale: Andante con moto, alla marcia
Performing musicians: Pellegrini Quartet
CD: CPO
Emanuele Muzio – arrangement for string quartet of parts from the opera
Luisa Miller of Verdi
Allegro moderato “Ah! Luisa” from the second act
Performing musicians: Hagen Quartett
CD: DG
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