In classical music circles the string quartet enjoys iconic status. More expansive in structural elegance than the instrumental recital, yet more pithy and lean than orchestral textures, the string quartet strikes that happy balance of richness, coherence, and architectural brilliance that the serious listener never tires of embracing. To paraphrase Goethe, the best encounters with string quartet literature result in the singular pleasure of hearing “four rational people conversing.”
Devotees of this form know the conventions of string quartet performances as well as sports fans know the ground rules of their favorite games. Buy a ticket to hear the Juilliard Quartet perform and you’re generally treated to three compositions. Two will typically be from the pen of the acknowledged masters — Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, and Brahms – while the third will delve into less traveled realms. The ensemble will have its reasons for the selection of works offered to its audience. Sometimes they’ll disclose the plan, either with spoken commentary or notes printed in the program. In other instances the several works are offered without a stated plan of coherence, with the listener free to discover whatever worlds of connection or divergence the works themselves may evoke on their own merits.
