The High Spirits of B-flat Major from NEQ

New Esterházy Quartet members Lisa Weiss, Anthony Martin, William Skeen, and Kati Kyme (photograph by Barbara Butkus, from the NEQ home page)

Yesterday afternoon at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, the New Esterházy Quartet (NEQ) concluded its twelfth season with a program entitled The Hunt for B♭. The program surveyed a little over a century’s worth of string quartets, all in the key of B-flat major, beginning with the very first composed by Joseph Haydn (Hoboken III/1, the first of his six Opus 1 quartets composed between 1762 and 1764), followed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (K. 458, 1784), and concluding with Johannes Brahms’ Opus 67 (1876). Those who recall the affective characteristics that Christian Schubart associated with the key of F minor may be interested that his entry for B-flat major was “Cheerful love, clear conscience, hope aspiration for a better world.” However, as NEQ violist Anthony Martin observed in his opening remarks, B-flat major was also the key of hunting horns; and the 6/8 rhythm has become associated with the hunter on horseback. All three of the quartets on the program opened with that 6/8 “hunting” motif.

Haydn began his service to the Esterházy family in 1761, so Hoboken III/1 was one of his earliest efforts in his initial service as Vice-Kapellmeister. Most likely his new employer was pleased to encounter a musical motif he could recognize (and a secular one at that). The quartet (also called a divertimento) consists of five movements, all relatively short; but it is clear that Haydn’s creative juices were flowing from the very beginning of what would turn out to be a long period of service to the family.

K. 458, on the other hand, is one of the six string quartets that Mozart dedicated to Haydn. While still serving the Esterházy family, Haydn tended to prefer the musical life in Vienna to the remoteness of the new Eszterháza palace. Mozart’s quartets date from when he first made Haydn’s acquaintance in Vienna; and they seem to reflect the younger composer’s appreciation of the older composer’s talents, as well as considerable enjoyment of Haydn’s capacity for wit. K. 458 is as playful as it is imaginative in its overall structure; and the NEQ did not short-change their appreciation of those playful qualities.

Unlike both Haydn and Mozart, Brahms composed only three string quartets; and his Opus 67 is the last of them. Rhetorically, it is the most upbeat of the three and may have been his way of reflecting on Haydn’s impact on Mozart’s imaginative productivity. At the same time Brahms seemed to be pushing the limits of his own imaginative capacity far more than he had done in his first two quartets. This is particularly evident in the variations that unfold in the final movement, all based on the simplest possible theme imaginable. However, the elaboration of that simplicity ultimately culminates in a reflection of the very opening “hunting motif” of the first movement; and the quartet goes out in a dazzling display of a solid link between conclusion and beginning.

Taken as a whole, the performances were thoroughly engaging from start to finish. As usual, violinists Kati Kyme and Lisa Weiss shared leadership with Weiss playing first violin in K. 458 and Kyme taking that position for the first and last selections. As usual, Brahms showed his unabashed preference for the low strings, giving both Martin and cellist William Skeen many opportunities to shine, particularly in that final variations movement. Listeners could thus leave the conclusion of the twelfth season with high-spirited thoughts (abetted by a new brochure) of what the next season will bring.