Quatuor Diotima

Beethoven wrote sixteen string quartets, composed in three distinct phases over the course of his life. Each phase marked a remarkable leap forward in the art of the string quartet. One of the most celebrated of these is the multifaceted and profound Opus 130, from his late period – a work filled with beloved melodies, striking harmonies and passionate outbursts. It is performed here by the French ensemble Quatuor Diotima, who take on this truly grand and monumental quartet.

Arnold Schoenberg is often associated with twelve-tone music, but in his youth he was strongly influenced by Beethoven, Brahms – and particularly Mozart. “I owe a great deal to Mozart. If you listen to my string quartets, you can hear that I’ve borrowed much directly from him. And I’m proud of that,” he once said. Nowhere is this more evident than in the early quartet presented here.

Between Schoenberg and Beethoven, we hear music by Swedish composer Lisa Streich. She enjoys international success and was featured in Konserthuset Stockholm’s 2024 Composer Weekend. She has described her music as sculpting with an orchestra or ensemble – where sound generates a kind of choreography that invites not only the listener but also the viewer. Here, we hear her Sternestill, premiered in 2022 in Strasbourg by none other than Quatuor Diotima.