Work: String Quartet no. 5 in A major, Op.18 no.5

Quatuor Ébène returns to Hamburg to kick off their Beethoven Cycle, driving four Stradivarius to their absolute expressive limits in a fiery, unforgettable night at the Elbphilharmonie.

Three Beethoven string quartets were given the Takács Quartet treatment, showing characteristic passion and insight, including the emotionally exhausting A minor quartet, Op. 132.

While on Saturday night I was tucked away in an air-conditioned building, on Sunday afternoon I found myself at a quartet performance in the middle of the woods. The Maverick Concert Hall in Woodstock, New York, was the 1916 creation of Hervey White and in 1952 hosted the première of John Cage’s 4’33”.