Alexander Melnikov & Cuarteto Casals/2 Presented by Liszt Academy

Shostakovich was deeply influenced by the life’s work of Beethoven. For example, the Russian composer learned Beethoven’s trick of developing a short and characteristic motif into variations that eventually form a composition of several movements. His last pieces are strongly reminiscent of Beethoven’s style in his late period. The highly expressive String Quartet in C minor is one of Shostakovich’s most Beethovenesque compositions, characterised by bold contrasts and extreme gestures, while the entire opus revolves around one single musical idea. Founded in Madrid in 1997, the Cuarteto Casals is an authentic interpreter of this work. The quartet has begun recording a Beethoven series on CD, and it is no accident that it is playing all of Beethoven’s quartets on its concert tour of major cities in Europe, Asia and Latin America in celebration of the 20th anniversary of its founding. They will play Beethoven’s string quartets at the three concerts. Performing with the quartet at the Liszt Academy, Russian pianist Alexander Melnikov, a noted specialist of early music, will play between the quartets Beethoven’s Piano Sonata in D major written in 1798.