‘OH, Mankind!’

November 16, 2023 | Bohemian National Hall

Ariel Quartet

Illustrated talk by Jan Swafford

Beethoven – curated selections from Op. 18/1–5
Beethoven – String Quartet No. 6 in B flat major, Op. 18 No. 6

Photographs by Alex Fedorov © 2023

This program, led by the eminent Beethoven biographer Jan Swafford, focuses on the composer’s early maturity, as seen in his first six string quartets, Op. 18. To a certain extent, these were written in the shadow of his friend and mentor Joseph Haydn, who virtually invented the modern conception of the string quartet. At the same time, they are mature and masterful pieces, in many ways prophetic of the works Beethoven would go on to produce. This event is a narrative recital featuring excerpts from the first five quartets and a full performance of No. 6.