The Amaryllis Quartet is celebrating its 20th anniversary and is taking this occasion to
devote itself entirely to Beethoven. On January24, 2025, the ensemble will release the
first album in the Face2Face series on the Berlin Classics label. The cycle includes all of Ludwig van Beethoven’s string quartets and contrasts them with contemporary compositions.
In this recording, two string quartets by Beethoven meet Bartók’s
sixth string quartet. Béla Bartók composed it at a time of personal and political catastrophe: the beginning of the Second World War, the death of his mother in
December 1939 and his emigration to America. You can hear the circumstances
of its creation in the work – a resigned mood that reflects the end of an era. In contrast, Beethoven’s last string quartet in F major op. 135, which standsat the transition between two eras, displays a surprising conciliatory quality that was not always to be found in the musical language of the time before. The relationship between the two works is obvious. In contrast to these two late works is Beethoven’s String Quartet in D major op. 18/3, which is characterized by a more cheerful and light-hearted character
, thus providing a nice contrast. Benjamin Sprick vividly explains the relationship between the three works and the historical context in the album’s booklet text.

Face2Face Amaryllis Quartett

Artist

Amaryllis Quartett

Composer

Béla Bartók

Ludwig van Beethoven

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Further information

Genre

Klassik
Streichquartett

Publication date

24.01.2025

The Amaryllis Quartet is celebrating its 20th anniversary and is taking this occasion to

devote itself entirely to Beethoven. On January24, 2025, the ensemble will release the

first album in the Face2Face series on the Berlin Classics label. The cycle includes all of Ludwig van Beethoven's string quartets and contrasts them with contemporary compositions.

In this recording, two string quartets by Beethoven meet Bartók's

sixth string quartet. Béla Bartók composed it at a time of personal and political catastrophe: the beginning of the Second World War, the death of his mother in

December 1939 and his emigration to America. You can hear the circumstances

of its creation in the work - a resigned mood that reflects the end of an era. In contrast, Beethoven's last string quartet in F major op. 135, which standsat the transition between two eras, displays a surprising conciliatory quality that was not always to be found in the musical language of the time before. The relationship between the two works is obvious. In contrast to these two late works is Beethoven's String Quartet in D major op. 18/3, which is characterized by a more cheerful and light-hearted character

, thus providing a nice contrast. Benjamin Sprick vividly explains the relationship between the three works and the historical context in the album's booklet text.