“LARK” and “DEATH & THE MAIDEN”
ESCHER QUARTET: HAYDN & SCHUBERT
October 8 at the Bohemian National Hall
“LARK” AND “DEATH & THE MAIDEN”
Wednesday, October 8, 7.30PM
Bohemian National Hall
321 E 73rd St, New York, NY 10021
Haydn String Quartet in D major, Op. 64 No. 5 “The Lark”
Schubert String Quartet No. 14 in D minor, D.810 “Death and the Maiden”
Illustrated talk by Stephen Johnson
Two wonderful string quartets launch Aspect’s tenth concert season in New York. Joseph Haydn’s Lark Quartet (Op. 64, No. 5) has all the composer’s trademark wit and subversive humour, enriched by a new-found lyricism that soars skyward almost from the first bars—hence its nickname. This sunlit, playful piece is followed by one of the darkest and most dramatic works in the quartet repertoire: Franz Schubert’s Death and the Maiden, written when the spectre of mortality loomed heavily over the young composer’s life. Romantic images of death as seducer, deliverer, and ultimately terrifying captor pervade this impassioned work, which culminates in a gripping “wild ride” unlike anything else in chamber music.
ESCHER QUARTET: HAYDN & SCHUBERT
Introductory TALK BY STEPHEN JOHNSON
The evening will be interspersed with illuminating introductions by Stephen Johnson—BBC broadcaster, writer, and composer—who will bring vivid context to Haydn’s Lark and Schubert’s Death and the Maiden.
Painting: Death and the Maiden
Schubert’s masterpiece echoes a centuries-old artistic theme: the haunting dialogue between love and mortality. Explore how Death and the Maiden has been reimagined in art through the ages.
WATCH Haydn’s Top 5 Tricks & Surprises
From witty twists to bold experiments, Haydn’s quartets are full of ingenious surprises. Watch this playful video and discover his top five tricks.
