Founded in Berlin in 2019, the Leonkoro Quartet represents the vibrant present of the long-standing string quartet tradition. With its »spirit of immediate freshness and fearlessness« (Süddeutsche Zeitung), the ensemble last left Elbphilharmonie audiences »virtually beside themselves« (Hamburger Abendblatt) in December 2024.
Three works of striking intensity come together in this programme. Beethoven’s Quartet Op. 18 No. 4 is the only minor-key work among his early quartets and is charged with restless energy from the outset – made even more compelling by the absence of a slow movement. Dmitri Shostakovich’s Quartet No. 8, written in 1960 in response to political repression and the sight of the devastated city of Dresden, remains one of his most famous works and continues to captivate through its profound emotional force.
After the interval, Franz Schubert provides a measure of relief. His unmistakable lyricism softens the intensity of the preceding works, though not without moments of dramatic tension of its own. In the end, the finale unfolds with all the ease and vitality of Schubert’s musical language, while still leaving behind a lingering touch of melancholy.
PERFORMERS
Leonkoro Quartett string quartet
Jonathan Schwarz violin
Emiri Kakiuchi violin
Mayu Konoe viola
Lukas Schwarz violoncello
PROGRAM
Ludwig van Beethoven
String Quartet in C minor, Op. 18/4
Dmitri Schostakowitsch
String Quartet No. 8 in C minor, Op. 110
- Interval -
Franz Schubert
String Quartet in A minor, D 804 »Rosamunde«
