Daniel Hope, Violin

Boundless invention, flights of virtuosic fancy, and pure exuberance characterize the sensational music 17th-century composers created when they looked to the violin as their chief tool of expression. Daniel Hope and company introduce you to some lesser-known—but no less magnificent—masters who made the violin sing while exploring the beauty and brio of the popular dances and songs of their day, weaving their melodies into some of the Baroque’s most beautiful music.

Hagen Quartet
Jörg Widmann, Clarinet

The Guardian has praised composer-clarinetist Jörg Widmann for having “much to say about the way we hear the music of the past.” This fascinating composer and world-class clarinetist does just that when he joins the Hagen Quartet as soloist in Mozart’s autumnal and ever beautiful Clarinet Quintet, and gives the US premiere of his own quintet, a work co-commissioned by Carnegie Hall. The Hagen Quartet, called the “ideal string quartet” by the Los Angeles Times, also performs selections from Dvořák’s Cypresses, tenderhearted works based on his youthful love songs.

Christian Tetzlaff, Violin
Tanja Tetzlaff, Cello
Lars Vogt, Piano

The trios of Schumann and Dvořák are connected by their emotional breadth and ambitious dimensions. The Schumann trio’s heroic opening sets the tone for unbridled passion, energetic virtuosity, and (in the third movement) breathtaking tenderness. Dvořák’s trio has turbulent emotion and a depth of expression that is highly personal—he was mourning the loss of his mother—while also glowing with beautiful melodies, particularly in its heartfelt slow movement. The finale is quintessential Dvořák, with the joyful folk-infused melodies for which he is well known.