A Discussion with the Ehnes Quartet and William Kinderman
No group of compositions occupies a more central position in chamber music than Beethoven’s string quartets. The six quartets of his opus 18, completed in 1800, are the magnum opus of Beethoven’s first decade at Vienna, and build upon the legacy of Haydn and Mozart. This event is coordinated with the opening performance of the Beethoven String Quartet cycle of the Ehnes Quartet, which features Beethoven’s Quartets in F major, G major, and D major, op. 18 nos. 1-3. Subsequent concerts with the Ehnes Quartet will include all sixteen of Beethoven’s quartets, including the original version of the Quartet in Bb, op. 130. with the Grosse Fuge, or Great Fugue, as the finale.
About the Ehnes Quartet Residency
The Ehnes Quartet, embarking on an exciting three-year partnership with the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music as the school's visiting string quartet in residence, launches its eagerly anticipated Beethoven Quartet Cycle—a comprehensive six-concert chronological exploration of Beethoven's complete string quartets.
This ambitious six-concert series will offer audiences an immersive journey through Beethoven's early mastery of the string quartet medium. As the ensemble brings its signature interpretive depth, seamless collaboration, and profound musical insight to campus, this series celebrates Beethoven's confident assertion of equality with Haydn and Mozart while unveiling the innovative transformational processes—motivic evolution, variation, and interconnection—that foreshadow his revolutionary later works. With 2027 approaching as the 200th anniversary of Beethoven's death (March 26, 1827), this cycle arrives at a poignant moment, highlighting the enduring power and timeless relevance of his quartets as the world prepares to honor his legacy.
Drawing on Professor William Kinderman's seminal study The String Quartets of Beethoven, the cycle highlights how these youthful quartets refine classical forms with emerging dramatic intensity, metrical nuance, and expressive contrasts, laying essential foundations for the composer's monumental contributions to the genre.
The Ehnes Quartet, hailed as “an important new force in the chamber music arena” with a “dream-team line-up” (Strings), is comprised of four internationally renowned string musicians: violinists James Ehnes and Amy Schwartz Moretti, violist Che-Yen Chen, and cellist Edward Arron.