BEETHOVEN! - Chamber Music New Zealand

Chamber Music New Zealand Presents 

NEW 

ZEALAND 

STRING 

QUARTET 

BEETHOVEN! 

REVOLUTION

Message from the 

Beethoven! Series sponsor 

Fred Turnovsky, who arrived in New Zealand 

in 1940, was a member of a small group 

of refugees from Europe who infl uenced 

immeasurably our cultural life. Having grown 

up in Prague, one of the undisputed cultural 

centres of Europe, he was struck by the fact 

that professional music, which he had taken 

for granted, did not appear to exist in his 

adopted country. 

With his drive and dedication he set about, in 

a positive and practical way, to foster the Arts, 

especially music. In collaboration with other 

music enthusiasts he established what we call 

today ‘Chamber Music New Zealand’ and was 

a driving force in the early days of opera in 

New Zealand. 

He also established the Turnovsky Endowment 

Trust which has, over a period of many years, 

generously supported the Arts. Fred died in 

1994 but his family, in wishing to fulfi l his vision 

of a strong cultural environment, continues 

to foster the Arts through the Turnovsky 

Endowment Trust. 

We hope you enjoy the performances by the 

New Zealand String Quartet as much as he did. 

Helen Philpott 

Trustee, Turnovsky Endowment Trust 

“And then there appeared on the 

scene a young string quartet of 

exceptional quality, the New Zealand 

String Quartet, whose playing 

captivated me from the fi rst hearing. 

Our trust helped fi nd them a home 

as quartet-in-residence at Victoria 

University, and every time I hear 

them I preen myself for having done 

something useful in my fi fty years 

of living in New Zealand. 

And that brings me around in a full 

circle. I started with chamber music, 

and I fi nish with chamber music. In 

the end, it is for me the crowning 

glory of human creativity.” 

Fred Turnovsky, from his autobiography 

‘Turnovsky: fi fty years in New Zealand’

Message from the 

tour sponsor 

The Lion Foundation is delighted to be in 

a position to once again support Chamber 

Music New Zealand. As one of the Country’s 

leading Charitable Trusts, our broad based 

approach has helped to enable Kiwis from 

all walks of life to achieve great things within 

their respective communities and sectors; 

Chamber Music New Zealand is no exception. 

We look forward to hearing the feedback 

from the many who will come to enjoy this 

programme. The Lion Foundation has been 

supporting the Arts for over quarter of a 

century alongside its funding of Sport, Health 

and Education and as the broadest ranging 

enabler of Community activity we support 

hundreds of thousands of Kiwis every day. 

Encore, CMNZ's Supporter 

Programme, provides many 

ways of gifting your support 

to ensure the continued 

vitality of chamber music 

in New Zealand. We thank 

all contributors for their 

generous support. 

For more information about Encore, visit 

www.chambermusic.co.nz/support-us

Kaleidoscopes 2012 

2. 

Welcome 

It is a great pleasure to follow 

our popular tour by the iconic 

international ensemble I Musici 

with concerts by our own icon, 

the New Zealand String Quartet. 

Chamber Music New Zealand is the 

proud parent of the Quartet, and 

like all parents we are delighted 

with their national and international 

success now that they are an 

independent organisation. 

When we started the group, there 

were no full-time chamber music 

groups in New Zealand, and it took 

the dedicated eff orts of many musiclovers 

to make it happen. Thanks to 

those people, we can now celebrate 

the New Zealand String Quartet’s 

25th birthday by sharing this 

‘revolutionary’ concert with you. 

Beethoven has been in the Quartet’s 

repertoire right from the beginning 

– their fi rst public programme 

© Robert Catto | www.catto.co.nz | All rights reserved 

included Opus 59 No 2 – and many 

of us still recall with admiration 

their performances of the complete 

Beethoven cycle in 2000-2001. 

We are delighted that tonight’s 

concert is part of the Quartet’s 2012 

Beethoven! series. The fi rst two were 

presented as part of the 2012 New 

Zealand International Arts Festival 

and we hope that you can also enjoy 

The Late Quartets later this year. 

Professional musicians need 

professional support. The Lion 

Foundation is one of this country’s 

leading community funders, and 

we truly appreciate their generous 

on-going support for the chamber 

music community. It is particularly 

poignant to also partner with the 

Beethoven series sponsor Turnovsky 

Foundation for this tour, as Fred 

Turnovsky was such a driving force 

behind both Chamber Music New 

Zealand and the establishment 

of the Quartet. 

I’m sure you will all join me in 

wishing the New Zealand String 

Quartet a very happy birthday on 

the 1st of October! 

Euan Murdoch 

Chief Executive, 

Chamber Music New Zealand

Programme One 

Beethoven String Quartet Opus 59 No 1 page 7 

INTERVAL 


NAPIER 23 APRIL DUNEDIN 26 APRIL WELLINGTON 3 MAY 

NELSON 4 MAY HAMILTON 8 MAY WHANGAREI ‡ 10 MAY 

Programme Two 

Beethoven String Quartet Opus 74 ‘Harp’ page 9 

Beethoven String Quartet Opus 95 ‘Quartetto Serioso’ page 10 

INTERVAL 


PALMERSTON NORTH 22 APRIL NEW PLYMOUTH 24 APRIL INVERCARGILL* 28 APRIL 

CHRISTCHURCH 30 APRIL AUCKLAND 9 MAY UPPER HUTT ‡ 11 JUNE WAIKANAE ‡ 17 JUNE 

* In association with 

Southland Festival 

of the Arts 

‡ concerts presented by 

regional music societies 

The Auckland and Wellington 

concerts will be recorded for 

broadcast by Radio NZ Concert 

Please respect the music, the musicians, and your fellow audience members, by switching off all 

cellphones, pagers and watches. Taking photographs, or sound or video recordings during the 

concert is strictly prohibited unless with the prior approval of Chamber Music New Zealand. 

New Zealand String Quartet 

3.


4. 

Helene Pohl – violin 

Douglas Beilman – violin 

Gillian Ansell – viola 

Rolf Gjelsten – cello 

Principal Sponsor: 

New Zealand 

String Quartet 

The New Zealand String Quartet is 

the foremost chamber ensemble 

in this country, and the mosttravelled 

classical group. Formed 

by Chamber Music New Zealand in 

1987, the Quartet regularly visits 

both large and small centres in 

New Zealand, and also performs 

internationally each year. The group 

has just returned from performing 

in a New Zealand mini-festival at 

the Kings Place in London, and 

performing at the opening of 

New Zealand’s year as Country of 

Honour at the Frankfurt Book Fair. 

Members of the New Zealand 

String Quartet play a pivotal role 

in the Adam Chamber Music 

Festival in Nelson. As teachers, 

they also conduct the annual Adam 

Summer School for young chamber 

musicians, and are Quartet-in- 

Residence at the New Zealand 

School of Music in Wellington. 

The Quartet’s extensive list of CDs 

includes a recently-released disc 

of New Zealand quartets by John 

Psathas, Jack Body, Ross Harris, 

Gareth Farr and Michael Norris, 

‘Notes from a Journey’, which won

the Best Classical Album at the 

2011 NZ Music Awards. 

In 2012, the New Zealand String 

Quartet is celebrating its 25th 

anniversary by presenting the 

complete cycle of Beethoven’s 

sixteen String Quartets in 

partnership with the New Zealand 

International Arts Festival and 

Chamber Music New Zealand. 

Their performances of the early 

‘Age of Enlightenment’ quartets 

are webcast on www.r2.co.nz, 

and the Late Quartets will be 

toured in August and September. 

“[Fred] was a wonderful 

mentor. He had been so 

long in that world, and had 

a wealth of life experience 

…. And he saw the value 

of having a string quartet 

teaching and being mentors 

for young players. It was a 

presence in the country to 

get other things going - 

that was part of his vision.” 

Wilma Smith recalling Fred Turnovsky’s 

role in her early days as leader of the 

New Zealand String Quartet, from 

‘Staying in Tune: Chamber Music 

New Zealand at 60’ by Jane Dawson 


5.


6. 

Ludwig van Beethoven 

Baptised Bonn, 17 December 1770 | Died Vienna, 26 March 1827 

In 1787 a sixteen year old pianist 

named Ludwig van Beethoven, 

who had also begun to compose, 

travelled from Bonn to Vienna, 

to seek instruction from Mozart. 

The death of his mother forced 

him to return only a fortnight 

later to become the family’s chief 

breadwinner, after his alcoholic 

father suff ered a complete 

breakdown. In 1792 Haydn passed 

through Bonn and admired some 

of Beethoven’s compositions, and 

later that year Beethoven left Bonn 

to study with Haydn in Vienna. His 

expenses were paid by the Elector 

of Cologne on the understanding 

that he would shortly return but in 

fact he never went home. 

In Vienna, Beethoven established 

himself as a virtuoso pianist, fi lling 

some of the void left by the death 

of Mozart. He gave recitals, toured 

extensively, and was celebrated for 

his heroic improvisations. In 1795 

he published his fi rst piano trios, 

and the following year three piano 

sonatas dedicated to Haydn. In 

April 1801 his First Symphony was 

premièred, and the same year saw 

the publication of Beethoven’s fi rst 

six string quartets Opus 18. 

Beethoven’s second decade in 

Vienna was dominated by the 

realisation that he was losing his 

hearing, and although he continued 

to perform in public, his music was 

inevitably coloured by suff ering, 

and later calm resignation. Yet 

between 1801 and 1815 he produced 

some of his most heroic works, and 

enjoyed fi nancial as well as artistic 

success thanks to supporters such 

as Archduke Rudolph, dedicatee 

of the ‘Archduke’ Trio, and Count 

Rasumovsky, who commissioned 

the Opus 59 quartets in 1805. 

By 1820 Beethoven was completely 

deaf, and although regarded as the 

greatest composer in Vienna, he 

was seen as eccentric, even mad. 

Nevertheless, it was during the 

fi nal years of his life that some of 

his most substantial and deeply 

felt works emerged. His last works 

were all string quartets, composed 

between 1822 and 1826. Beethoven 

died a year later and his funeral 

procession through Vienna’s streets 

was reputedly watched by ten 

thousand people. 

Programme notes by 

Susannah Lees-Jeff eries, adapted 

from Chamber Music New Zealand fi les

String Quartet in F Opus 59 No 1 

Allegro 

Allegretto vivace e sempre scherzando 

Adagio molto e mesto - attacca: 

Thème russe. Allegro 

Count Andreas Kirillovich Rasumovsky 

(1752-1836) was the Russian ambassador 

to Vienna and the brother-in-law of Prince 

Lichnowsky, the dedicatee of Beethoven’s 

Opus 1 piano trios. An art collector and 

music lover, Count Rasumovsky supported a 

permanent string quartet, formed to perform 

the three quartets that he commissioned from 

Beethoven, from 1808 to 1816. Described as 

an “enemy of the Revolution but good friend 

of the fair sex”, Rasumovsky was one of 

Beethoven’s most signifi cant patrons. 

As the opening phrase soars into being it 

is clear that this is quartet writing on an 

unprecedented scale, both in the length 

and construction of the movements (all four 

movements are in full sonata form) and in the 

symphonic spaciousness of Beethoven’s vision. 

The Allegro [lively] is typical of Beethoven’s 

increasingly mature style, coupling rhythmic 

drive with a slow rate of harmonic change. 

Rather than the short, incisive fi gures of 

earlier works, the melodies are fl owing 

and continuous, yet are easily divisible into 

smaller motifs. In a departure from classical 

sonata form the exposition is not repeated, 

and the climax of the whole movement occurs 

in the coda, as the fi rst theme rings out over 

rich harmonies. 

A rhythmic fi gure forms the fi rst subject of 

the Allegretto vivace e sempre scherzando 

[lively and always playful], but it is the 

more lyrical second subject which begins 

the recapitulation before ending with one 

of Beethoven’s favourite juxtapositions of 

pianissimo and fortissimo. 

The Adagio molto e mesto [very slow 

and sorrowful] provides a stark contrast. 

Remarkable for its eff ective use of pizzicato, 

and redolent with deeply felt emotion, the 

early sketches bear the inscription “A weeping 

willow or acacia over my brother’s grave”. The 

tragic mood is gradually dispelled as a fl orid 

violin passage over a sustained dominant 

seventh leads directly into the fi nale. 

The Allegro is all brilliance and energy, 

featuring a Russian folk song [Thème russe] 

in which a soldier laments the hardships of 

military life. By an unusual use of extended 

trills at the end of the exposition and during 

the development, Beethoven links the fi nale to 

the violin transition from the third movement. 

The coda contains some lively fugal writing 

before the folk song returns at a more 

mournful tempo, only to be swept aside 

by a galloping conclusion. 


7.


8. 

String Quartet in E minor Opus 59 No 2 

Allegro 

Molto adagio. Si tratta questo pezzo con molto di sentimento 

Allegretto 

Finale. Presto 

The second of the Opus 59 Quartets was 

composed over an intensive period, probably 

between April and November 1806. As is 

often the case with Beethoven, it could not 

be more diff erent than the work preceding it. 

Apart from the extraordinary slow movement, 

it is more terse, darker and more highly 

strung than the fi rst ‘Rasumovsky’ quartet, 

full of a restless searching energy. 

The main theme in the Allegro is triadic 

and to the point, and in the exposition it 

is the silences, rather than the notes, that 

give the music its strength. The emphatic 

opening chords coupled with highly eff ective 

pauses create an atmosphere of mystery and 

suspense that persists throughout. Unlike 

the continuous fl owing melodies of Opus 59 

No 1, the Allegro is mercurial in its moods, 

with labyrinthine fi guration and dramatic 

syncopations. Like the Fifth Symphony, the 

recapitulation is in the major, leaving the 

coda to re-establish the original tonality. 

The E major Molto adagio [very slow] is 

one of Beethoven’s most remarkable slow 

movements, with the instruction to “play 

this with much feeling”. His pupil Carl 

Czerny claimed that he had been inspired 

by “the starry sky and the movement of the 

spheres”. While Beethoven typically shunned 

extramusical stimuli, the profound serenity of 

the music does not make this allusion seem 

far-fetched. A chorale-like melody opens the 

movement, with staggered entries giving an 

ethereal quality. Although it is in sonata form, 

the transitions between sections are treated 

so unobtrusively as to be barely perceptible. 

Throughout, the melodies are almost 

continuously accompanied by persistent 

rhythmic fi gures, like hushed heartbeats, 

so, when at the climax of the movement the 

main theme sings out accompanied only by 

striking new harmonies, the eff ect is fresh 

and startling. 

The Allegretto is an unsteady and somewhat 

ponderous dance, with an unsettling 

transition from E minor to D major at the 

end of the fi rst section. In the Trio Beethoven 

introduces a solemn Russian hymn, treated 

somewhat irreverently as a brisk fugue. 

The Presto [very fast] last movement is a 

vigorous tussle between confl icting keys. 

It is given direction by a neatly pointed 

quaver/crotchet rhythm, ever-present in 

the accompaniment and rarely swamped by 

passages of strenuous counterpoint. This 

gives the Finale a smart, almost military 

fl avour, although the ending is restless 

and indecisive until the main theme fi nally 

appears in the tonic.

String Quartet in E fl at Opus 74 ‘Harp’ 

Poco adagio - Allegro 

Adagio ma non troppo 

Presto - attacca: 

Allegretto con variazioni 

May 1809 saw the French bombard and 

occupy Vienna. Unlike his aristocratic 

friends, Beethoven could not leave the city, 

communication was well-nigh impossible, 

and he was unable to take the country walks 

that inspired him. A letter to his publishers on 

26 July summed up his mood: 

“Let me tell you that since May 4th I have 

produced very little coherent work, at most 

a fragment here and there. The whole course 

of events has in my case aff ected both body 

and soul... What a destructive, disorderly 

life I see and hear around me: nothing but 

drums, cannons, and human misery in every 

form.” 

The ‘Harp’ Quartet was one of only a few 

large-scale works, along with the Piano 

Sonata Opus 81a and the ‘Emperor’ Concerto, 

that Beethoven completed in 1809. Dedicated 

to Prince Lobkowitz, it was published in 1810. 

Opening mysteriously in A fl at, the Poco 

adagio [somewhat slow] introduces a tonal 

plan for the whole quartet, encompassing 

E fl at, A fl at, C minor and C major. The 

ensuing Allegro is bluntly cheerful, with 

a simple theme enlivened by a viola 

countermelody and the pizzicati which 

give rise to the work’s nickname. The coda 

contains a stunningly beautiful passage 

for the second violin and viola in canon, 

heralding the climactic return of the main 

theme. 

The Adagio ma non troppo [slow but not 

too slow] is a spacious rondo in A fl at. 

The lyrical theme appears three times: 

fl oating above sustained chords; lavishly 

ornamented over accompanying triplets; 

and on the lowest string, woven through a 

hazy accompaniment. The fi rst contrasting 

episode moves seamlessly through a wide 

range of keys, while the second introduces 

a new violin melody, intertwined with a 

cello solo. 

Persistent rhythms in the Presto [quickly] 

recall the Fifth Symphony, but after a 

vehemently loud opening the mood is 

subdued. The C major Trio in the centre 

has no such reservations, consisting of 

an aggressively intricate fugue. 

Immediately following on, the six variations 

of the fi nal movement are diverse in nature. 

The fi rst, third and fi fth are lively but not 

particularly deep, while the second and 

fourth allow the viola and violin a chance 

to shine. The sixth makes use of a shifting 

E fl at/D fl at pedal in the cello before a coda 

featuring short variations on a truncated 

version of the theme. 


9.


10. 

String Quartet in F minor Opus 95 ‘Quartetto serioso’ 

Allegro con brio 

Allegretto ma non troppo - attacca: 

Allegro assai vivace ma serioso 

Larghetto espressivo - Allegretto agitato 

Following the rejection of his marriage 

proposal by the much younger Therese 

Malfatti, to whom he had given the autograph 

score of Für Elise, Beethoven spent the 

summer of 1810 in Baden, a resort outside 

Vienna. While there he worked on the String 

Quartet Opus 95 and the ‘Archduke’ Trio 

Opus 97, the only signifi cant compositions 

begun that year. The autograph score of 

Opus 95 is dated October 1810, but recent 

studies suggest that it was revised extensively 

in 1814, before its fi rst performance. It is 

dedicated to its copyist, Nikolaus Zmeskall 

von Domanovecz (1759 - 1833), a civil servant, 

amateur cellist and one of Beethoven’s most 

loyal friends. 

The title ‘serioso’ (Beethoven’s own) refers to 

the quartet’s ‘learned’ style. He was curiously 

reticent about promoting it, and in 1816, the 

year of its publication, wrote to Sir George 

Smart in London: “NB. The Quartet is written 

for a small circle of connoisseurs and is never 

to be performed in public”. 

The Allegro con brio [lively and spirited] fi rst 

movement is remarkable for its economy. 

The brief fi rst theme introduces a distinctive 

semiquaver fi gure, while the second is lyrical 

and fl owing, underpinned by very simple 

harmonies. Gruff scales in remote keys are 

used as bridge passages throughout. The 

recapitulation cuts the fi rst theme short and 

focuses on the lyrical second subject, ending 

with a dramatic interrupted cadence and a 

vigorous coda. 

The Allegretto ma non troppo [lively but not 

too much so] continues the subdued mood 

with a restrained cello solo, leading to a 

beautifully sensitive theme. After the terse 

fi rst movement, the Allegretto is spaciously 

constructed in a broad arch around a central 

fugal section, which contains a restful interlude 

based on the opening solo. Following a wistful 

cadence, a bare octave D and a diminished 

seventh lead straight into the scherzo. 

The Allegro assai vivace ma serioso [very 

lively but serious] is a fi erce dance with 

two motifs: a three note fi gure and a scale 

passage. The Trio is a complete contrast, 

with a cantabile melody, accompanied by 

continuous quavers, moving fl uidly through 

a series of remote keys. 

After a mysterious Larghetto espressivo [slow 

and expressive] introduction, the Allegretto 

agitato [somewhat lively and agitated] is 

a well-proportioned sonata rondo, based 

around a lightly scored, rhythmic theme. Not 

a second is wasted in its relentless motion 

towards an ending in F major, thwarted at the 

last moment by a brilliantly airy coda.

String Quartet in C Opus 59 No 3 

Introduzione. Andante con moto - Allegro vivace 

Andante con moto quasi allegretto 

Menuetto. Grazioso - attacca: 

Allegro molto 

In the summer of 1806, Beethoven threw 

himself into composing a series of great 

instrumental works, including the Fourth 

Symphony, the ‘Appassionata’ Sonata and 

the three Rasumovsky Quartets. After a 

long struggle with his opera Leonore he was 

in an optimistic mood and ready for fresh 

challenges. Above his sketches for Opus 59 

No 3 is written: “Just as you plunge yourself 

here into the whirlpool of society, so in spite 

of all social obstacles it is possible for you to 

write opera. Your deafness shall be a secret 

no more, even where Art is involved!”. 

After an atmospheric introduction of slowly 

shifting chromatic harmonies, the lively 

Allegro vivace [lively and spirited] has the 

impact of a fresh gust of wind. Full of vigorous 

passage work, fugato entries, and extended 

trills, the lengthy exposition leads to a short 

but eventful development section. 

The gently elegiac Andante con moto [at a 

fl owing pace] in A minor is one of Beethoven’s 

most haunting slow movements. While the 

theme is original, the violin harmonies, 

coupled with pizzicato pedal points, create a 

Slavonic mood. It was in the slow movements 

of Opus 59 Nos 1 and 3 that Beethoven 

fi rst realised the emotional possibilities of 

pizzicato, and the carefully shaded cello line 

has a hypnotic eff ect. 

The opening of the Menuetto [minuet] harks 

back to the 18th century in its graceful 

symmetry, but the rapid fi guration and 

carefree passing of the melody from voice to 

voice makes it clear that this is not a run-ofthe-mill 

dance movement. Also, unlike the 

classical minuet, cadences frequently fall on 

the third beat of the bar, giving a charmingly 

breathless quality. An unexpected coda in 

a minor key adds a note of mystery, before 

plunging headlong into the fi nale. 

The Allegro molto is one of Beethoven’s 

most irresistable fi nales. Written in the 

moto perpetuo style, the motion is not just 

perpetual, but at times precipitous. Using 

a typical combination of rapid rhythm and 

slow harmony, the theme is so long that it 

only allows for two complete statements: 

at the beginning, and at the start of the 

recapitulation, which is further enlivened 

by a countersubject. A dramatic pause leads 

to a teasingly extended coda, before rushing 

to its inevitable conclusion. 


11.


12. 

Beethoven’s String Quartets 

in Context 

by Dr Nancy November 

Beethoven’s seventeen string quartets 

are now considered as cornerstones of 

chamber music, indeed of Western classical 

music altogether. For early listeners and 

performers, though, these strikingly novel, 

avant-garde works presented considerable 

challenges. The fi ve late quartets, in 

particular, were castigated as the musical 

ravings of a deaf madman, before being 

hailed as the purest and most profound 

utterances of a genius. These works both 

refl ected the changing times and were 

themselves instruments of change. At fi rst 

they were mainly performed in private 

settings, but they also heralded the new 

‘public’ life of chamber music. The Beethoven 

quartets were championed and premiered 

by the fi rst professional string quartet, led 

by Beethoven’s close acquaintance Ignaz 

Schuppanzigh. 

Bold innovations appear straight away, in 

the fi rst six string quartets that make up 

Opus 18 (1798-1800). These works do not fi t 

neatly with received ideas of Beethoven’s socalled 

‘fi rst period’ (1782-c.1802), when he 

supposedly continued the traditions set by 

Mozart and Haydn. In the String Quartet in A 

major, Opus 18 No 5, for example, the slow 

movement bears resemblances to Mozart’s 

slow movement in his ‘Haydn’ String Quartet 

in A major, K. 464. Yet as early as the fi rst 

variation, Beethoven introduces a cheeky spin 

on contrapuntal working (a hallmark of the 

traditional string quartet), fl aunting the fi rst 

violin’s high register and underlining how far 

he had moved from his forebears in terms 

of movement models and style. The cryptic 

tonal labyrinths at the beginning of the fi nale 

in Opus 18 No 6 (‘La Malinconia’) attest to his 

bold challenging of conventions—challenges 

that were all the more daring given the 

elevated status of the string quartet. 

The fi ve ‘middle-’ or ‘second-period’ quartets, 

completed in 1806 (Opus 59), 1809 (Opus 

74), and 1810 (Opus 95), are newly ‘public’ in 

terms of intended venue and style, including 

intense dramatic contrasts, new textures, 

virtuoso passages for all players, and works of 

unprecedented length. The expansiveness and 

exuberant dramatics of these works fi t with 

Beethoven’s emphasis on the large-scale and 

theatrical works at this time: one thinks of the 

Third to Sixth Symphonies, the Fourth and Fifth 

Piano Concertos, Egmont, Fidelio. The advent 

of Schuppanzigh’s chamber music concert 

series in 1805-6 was very likely an inspiration, 

a prompt to reach out to his public with 

musical gestures ‘writ large’. Yet there are also 

moments of striking intimacy and poignancy. 

In a sketch note to Opus 59 No 3, Beethoven

wrote to himself: ‘Just as you fall here into the 

whirlpool of society, so it is possible to write 

works despite all societal hindrances—Your 

deafness can no longer be a secret—also 

in art’. The haunting D-fl at cantabile within 

the slow movement of Opus 59 No 1 is 

one place where, amid all the ‘publicity’, 

the melancholy voice of the almost-deaf 

composer might be heard. 

With Opus 74 and Opus 95 Beethoven had 

broken from the tradition of composing in 

sets of three or six, and would now publish 

his quartets as single opus works. The works 

themselves now became highly individualised 

and idiosyncratic, especially the fi ve ‘late’ 

quartets composed 1824-26. Following on the 

heels of works such as the Ninth Symphony 

and the Missa solemnis, they encapsulate 

this period of radical innovation, eccentricity, 

and paradox. The late quartets encompass 

oppositional elements such as massivity 

vs miniaturisation and songfulness vs 

highly ‘instrumental’ writing: compare the 

beautifully lyrical Cavatina with the jagged 

contours of the ‘Große Fuge’ (Great Fugue’), 

adjoining movements in the Opus 130 Quartet. 

Reprinted courtesy of the 

New Zealand String Quartet Trust 

“For the young performer, it 

often feels like one needs to inhale 

incredibly deeply, gathering a reserve 

of oxygen for more than just the 

additional pyrotechnics. The wonder 

of Beethoven’s voice, its sheer ability 

to speak of many sentiments and its 

sudden juxtaposition of opposites 

becomes more and more pronounced. 

Arriving at the rollicking good fun of 

the last movement of Opus 59 No 3 

seems a true reward indeed.” 

Douglas Beilman– a performer’s view of 

Beethoven’s middle period quartets 


13.


14. 

Timeline of events 

Methodist 

Church founded 

Haydn born 

Handel’s Messiah performed in Dublin 

Celsius invents temperature scale 

excavation of 

JS Bach dies 

1732 

1738 

1741 

1742 

1748 

1750 

1759 

1769 

1770 

1772 

Pompeii begins 

British take 

over colony 

of Quebec 

Vivaldi dies 

Bering discovers Alaska 

Boston Tea Party 

Beaumarchais produces 

American Declaration 

1773 

1774 

1775 

1776 

1780 

1787 

1789 

1791 

1796 

fi rst potatoes 

grown in Bay 

of Islands 

Beethoven born 

Captain Cook sails 

through Cook Strait 

de Surville lands 

at Doubless Bay, 

kidnaps Ranginui 

revolt against British rule 

Louis XVI crowned King of France 

The Barber of Seville 

Electric battery invented 

of Independence 

1797 

1799 

Jenner develops a 

successful smallpox vaccine 

Mozart dies 

Sealers and whalers begin 

working in New Zealand 

French Revolution 

Washington becomes 

fi rst President of USA 

American 

constitution drafted 

gas fi res patented 

in France 

Napoleon forces 

Austria to make peace 

Uranus discovered by Herschel 

rst public railway 

opens in London 

Napoleon 

fi 

1804 

1806 rst 

1803 fi 

crowns himself 

Emperor in Paris 

European 

women 

arrive in NZ

1809 

1811 

1812 

Rev Samuel Marsden conducts fi 

Argentina declares independence from Spain 

Raffl 

1814 

1816 

1819 es 

34 chiefs sign the Declaration 

Queen Victoria crowned in Britain 

Daguerre takes fi 

1822 

1827 

1830 

1832 

1833 

1835 

1837 

1838 

1839 

1840 

Brothers Grimm publish their 

fi rst volume of fairy tales 

Napoleon’s army defeated in Russia 

Luddite riots against 

mechanised weaving looms 

Mendelssohn born 

Haydn dies 

rst Christian service in NZ 

Macadam develops macadamised roads in Scotland 

founds 

Singapore 

Goethe dies 

Morse invents electric telegraph 

sewing machine 

patented in France 

Beethoven dies 

D’Urville begins charting 

New Zealand coastline 

Egyptian hieroglyphs 

deciphered by Champollion 

British Factory Act regulates child labour 

of Independence in NZ 

rst photos 

Treaty of Waitangi signed 

fi rst adhesive postage stamps 

issued in Britain 

‘Opium Wars’ begin in China 


15.


16. 

Board 

Chair, Peter Diessl, June Cliff ord CNZM, Paul Baines, 

Michelle van Gaalen, Roger King, Helen Philpott, 

Gretchen La Roche, Lloyd Williams. 

Staff 

Chief Executive, Euan Murdoch 

Audience Development Manager, Victoria Dadd 

Marketing & Communications Assistant, Candice de Villiers 

Ticketing & Database Co-ordinator, Laurel Bruce 

Design & Print, Chris McDonald 

Publicist, Sally Woodfi eld 

Business Manager, Jenni Hall 

Operations Co-ordinator, Jessica Lightfoot 

Offi ce Administrator/Programme Co-ordinator (Contest), Sue Jane 

Artist Development Manager, Anna Sedcole 

Programme Co-ordinator (Contest), Pip Want (on leave) 

Programme Writer, Jane Dawson 

Branches 

Auckland: Chair, Victoria Silwood; 

Concert Manager, Ros Giff ney 

Hamilton: Chair, Murray Hunt; 

Concert Manager, Gaye Duffi ll 

New Plymouth: Chair, Joan Gaines; 

Concert Manager, Susan Case 

Hawkes Bay: Chair, June Cliff ord; 

Concert Manager, Liff y Roberts 

Manawatu: Chair, Graham Parsons; 

Concert Manager, Karen Carter 

Wellington: 

Concert Manager, Jessica Lightfoot; 

Nelson: Chair, Henrietta Hannah; 

Concert Manager, Clare Monti 

Christchurch: Chair, Colin McLachlan; 

Concert Manager, Jody Keehan 

Dunedin: Chair, Terence Dennis; 

Concert Manager, Richard Dingwall 

Southland: Chair, Shona Thomson; 

Concert Manager, Jennifer Sinclair 

Regional Presenters 

Blenheim, Cromwell, Gisborne, Gore, Hutt Valley, 

Kaitaia, Morrinsville, Motueka, Rotorua, Taihape, Tauranga, 

Te Awamutu, Tokoroa, Upper Hutt, Waikanae, Waimakariri, 

Waipukurau, Wanaka, Wanganui, Warkworth, Wellington, 

Whakatane and Whangarei. 

Regional Concerts 

& Other Events 

Akoka Quartet 

Rotorua, 20 April 

Wellington, 22 April 

Blenheim, 27 April 

Warkworth, 28 April 

Tauranga, 29 April 

Jian Liu (piano) 

Cromwell, 4 May 

Wanaka, 5 May 

Gore, 7 May 

Motueka, 10 May 

Blenheim, 11 May 

Whanganui, 16 May 

Putaruru, 20 May 

Rotorua, 21 May 

Gisborne, 23 May 

Level 4, 75 Ghuznee Street 

PO Box 6238, Wellington 

Tel (04) 384 6133 

Fax (04) 384 3773 

info@chambermusic.co.nz 

www.chambermusic.co.nz 

/ChamberMusicNZ 

For all Concerts Managers 

phone 0800 CONCERT (266 2378)

A Special Thank You 

to all our Supporters 

Education: 

Chamber Music New Zealand acknowledges 

all donations and support at branch level: 

Auckland: THE EDGE 

New Plymouth: TSB Community Trust 

Hawkes Bay: Eastern & Central Community Trust 

Manawatu: Eastern & Central Community Trust 

Wellington: Positively Wellington Venues 

Dunedin: Dunedin City Council 

FARINA THOMPSON 

CHARITABLE TRUST 

Southland: Community Trust of Southland; 

Invercargill Licensing Trust 

Coff ee supplier: Karajoz Coff ee Company 

Chocolatier: de Spa Chocolatier 

Floral Supplier: Global Living 

© Chamber Music New Zealand 2012 

No part of this programme may be reproduced without the prior permission of Chamber Music New Zealand.

0800 CONCERT (266 2378) 

www.chambermusic.co.nz

BEETHOVEN! - Chamber Music New Zealand

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