November 12, 20169 yr This composition was created in spring 2014 and here is the recording of the first performance. It is an easy-going music, following a course of elemental neoclassicism. There is a hidden quote of Mozart's Eine kleine Nachtmusik in the final movement. Try to find it. There was an intriguing accident during the performance. You will hear a loud snap in the final movement - the violinist's e string broke free and she managed to improvise her final solo in majestic fashion - nobody recognized anything was wrong. Hats off to her. :)
November 13, 20169 yr This is a nice rousing piece of work, and I'm glad you included a bass. More people should do that. Why Beethoven never added one in his quartets always puzzled me. I guess he was trying to beat Haydn at his own game. I heard the quote at 58, without disguise.
November 13, 20169 yr Lovely work. A nice sense of contrast with and so motivic! It's really nice to hear it. It could have been compounded by the recording but places where the viola and the cello cross voices can sound a bit too tight knit sometimes, but that generally wasn't too much of a problem. Cheers!
November 13, 20169 yr Author Thanks for reviews! It is much different to write for a quartet with double bass due to the instrument's specific sound. Any comparison with classical string quartet is useless. I do believe Beethoven never thought about a double bass as a member of string quartet. It would be interesting to find out if there were any fine virtuoso players on double bass until 1900. :)
November 13, 20169 yr I'm just wondering why Beethoven didn't take the string quartet to the next logical level, as he did with so many of the forms available to him. I'm no purist. I've always found the string quartet lacking, sonically incomplete. However, there was a bass virtuoso in Vienna, which he worked with in some capacity. I wish I could remember the details. It's in Jan Swafford's comprehensive biography.
November 17, 20169 yr Very good. I enjoy it a lot, and the recording is a nice change of pace from the usual midi renderings. The use of double-bass is quite interesting. I might try experimenting with that. It reminds me of Shostakovich's quartets. [edit]: Quick edit after hearing the last movement. This movement really sells me on the double-bass. Really awesome. I've always found that cello pizz in quartets unless used perfectly can sound very out of place, but the double-bass pizz blends really nicely into the sound. Edited November 17, 20169 yr by SebastianViola
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