Brentano String Quartet

In a historic Beethoven bicentennial event, the world-renowned Brentano String Quartet performs their first cycle of the composer’s complete string quartets.

A defining artistic milestone for the esteemed ensemble, the six concerts take place over two seasons, performed on the stage where the first American performances of the complete quartets were given by the Budapest Quartet in 1948.

This first concert traces Beethoven’s quartet evolution from beginning to end, from Op. 18, No. 1, which introduces the young composer extending the Classical traditions of Haydn and Mozart, through the forward-looking Op. 59, No. 3 from the midpoint of his quartet output, to the radical Op. 131 – the zenith of the late quartets, which transcends all conventional notions of form.