The concert the author of this report had the opportunity to witness this year was the performance of the Peachtree String. The concert was held at the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra on April 16 (Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, 2020). The musicians performed Ludwig van Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 10 in E-flat major (Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, 2020). The reason for attending the performance of Beethoven’s Quartet was its emotional melodies and unusual movements’ structure. The author of this work believes that this concert will be exciting and enjoyable for both average listeners and a sophisticated audience.
The Performance
String Quartet No. 10 in E-flat major is a Quarter written by Ludwig van Beethoven. He was a Classic musician and composer who was “born at Bonn, probably Dec. 16, 1770” (Grove, 1879, p. 162). Although Beethoven wrote this Quartet in 1809, Breitkopf issued it only in December 1810 (Grove, 1879). Two violinists, a violist, and a cellist, performed the Quartet (Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, 2020). They are Christopher Pulgram, Sissi Yuqing Zhang, Yang-Yoon Kim, and Thomas Carpenter (Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, 2020). The composition consists of four movements, separated by small pauses. The title of each of the movements indicates their tempo. The first piece was ‘Poco adagio’; it began slowly and then was gradually accelerating. The style of dynamics of the ‘Poco adagio’ was forte, and the texture was polyphonic. The author believes that this piece of composition is an excellent introduction to the whole Quartet. Rhythm, melody, and harmony were complex, and violins were the leading instruments. The cello was the secondary focal point.
Then the musicians performed ‘Adagio ma non troppo,’ which was quieter and more uniform in terms of tempo compared to the first motion. It can be said that the dynamics style of the second movement of the mezzo piano. The author considers the first half of ‘Adagio ma non troppo’ to be the most enjoyable episode of the composition. It was not only because of the musicians’ professionalism and high synchrony but also because it is the adagio tempo where Beethoven showed his “divide clearness and expression” (Grove, 1879, p. 170). However, the second part of ‘Adagio ma non troppo’ is the least exciting and intriguing episode. This episode is neither emotional nor complex in terms of structure and performance. Unlike the first movement, the rhythm, melody, and harmony of ‘Adagio ma non troppo’ are simple, and the texture is monophonic. The violins were still the primary focal point.
The third movement brought back the complexity of rhythm, melody, harmony, and polyphony shown to the audience in the first one. The title and tempo of the third movement were ‘Presto.’ The style of dynamics of ‘Presto’ was the same as that of ‘Poco adagio,’ which is forte. This paper’s author considers this movement very enjoyable and exciting due to the fast rhythm and changing melody. These qualities are characteristic of Beethoven’s creative style (Grove, 1879). ‘Presto’ was one of the highlights of the concert. The violins were still the leading instruments, but the viola became the secondary focal point there.
‘Allegretto con variazioni’ was the fourth and final piece of the String Quartet No. 10 in E-flat major. It can be said that its rhythm, melody, and harmony were the most complex and elaborate compared to other movements. Such complexity may be explained by that the fact that before writing String Quartet No. 10 in E-flat major, Beethoven already had considerable experience gained in the process of harmonizing “national melodies” (Grove, 1879, p. 188). ‘Allegretto con variazioni’ was polyphonic, where each instrument’s role was heard and felt. There were both quiet and loud moments. It is safe to say that it was the most unpredictable episode of the composition and the concert’s absolute highlight.
Performers
The Peachtree String Quartet left a good impression on the author of this work. They seemed like professionals who have worked together for a long time. Each of them knew their role, timing, and entrance point. It is also worth noting that the author did not notice any significant or minor errors in performance. The musicians did not hesitate to move their heads and upper bodies and express facial emotions to the composition’s rhythm and melodies. Their style of expression can be described as sanguine. However, the female performers seemed nervous at certain times (Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, 2020). The Peachtree String Quartet did not interact with the audience during the performance and only bowed at the concert’s end. The audience was respectfully silent and applauded at the end of the show.
Conclusion
The performance of String Quartet No. 10 in E-flat major by The Peachtree String Quartet was a pleasure to watch and listen to. The overall composition was exciting, but the second half of the second motion may seem boring to some people. It can be solved by putting monitors in the background to produce visual effects. String Quartet No. 10 in E-flat major is an excellent choice for those who are just getting started with classical music. The professionalism of The Peachtree String Quartet will interest many sophisticated listeners.
References
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. (2020). The Peachtree string quartet performs Beethoven [Video]. YouTube. Web.
Grove, G. (Ed.). (1879). A dictionary of music and musicians (Vol. 1). Macmillan and Co.