Touring Programs - Historical Repertoire
Program lengths can be adjusted with additions and or subtractions of pieces.
For programs juxtaposing historical repertoire with new commissions, see Haydn: Dialogues and The Seven Last Words Project.
Is it true? (Ist es Wahr?)
Haydn String Quartet in D minor, Op. 103
Haydn String Quartet in G Major, Op. 17 No. 5
Mendelssohn String Quartet in A minor, Op. 13
In this program, The Cramer Quartet joins Haydn and Mendelssohn in exploring the connection between vocal and instrumental music. Mendelssohn’s String Quartet in A minor, Op. 13 begins with a quotation from his tender art song, Ist es Wahr?, while the final movement opens with impassioned recitative from the first violin. Haydn’s String Quartet Op. 17, No. 5 also invokes operatic sensibility as distinct sections of aria and recitative unfold in the haunting Adagio. Haydn’s final work for string quartet, the String Quartet in D minor, Op. 103, is an incomplete composition. It was published as just two movements in 1806 when the composer realized he would not be able to finish the piece. In the score, Haydn penned a quote from his own chorale, Der Greis: “Gone is all my strength, old and weak am I.”
Program length: 75 minutes including a 10-minute intermission
In the Palacios of Madrid
Luigi Boccherini String Quartet in G Minor Op. 32, No. 5
Gaetano Brunetti String Quartet in E flat Major, Op. 2 No. 3
Franz Joseph Haydn String Quartet in G Major, Op. 76, no. 1
The most wealthy and influential palacios surrounding Madrid supported and employed the most sought-after musicians from all over Europe in the 18th century. Franz Joseph Haydn had a longstanding contract with the House of Alba that stipulated he would send new compositions every year. After becoming the director of the royal chamber orchestra under Charles IV, Gaetano Brunetti led the royal orchestra, composed new music, and maintained the royal library, which included music from prominent European composers such as Haydn. Luigi Boccherini accepted a position in the court of Don Luis the Infante as a composer and chamber musician, where he composed many of his well known string quartets and quintets. This program presents to audiences music that would have been performed in the palacios in the capital of Spain during the late 18th century.
Program length: 65 minutes including a 10-minute intermission
Paris at the Dawn of Romanticism
Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges String Quartet in G minor, Op. 14 No. 6
Hyacinthe Jadin String Quartet Op. 1, No. 1
Louis-Emmanuel Jadin String Quartet in F Minor, Op. 2
The multi-talented Joseph Bologne performed different musical roles in Paris as a conductor, violin virtuoso, and composer. In his rarely heard String Quartet in G minor, Op. 14 No. 6, melodies colored with early romanticism pass between the two violins. Born in Versailles, the Jadin brothers led active musical lives in Paris. The colors of Hyacinthe Jadin’s Op. 1 String Quartets anticipate the musical style and harmonic evolution of Franz Schubert. String Quartet in F Minor, Op. 2 by Louis-Emmanuel Jadin, the older of the two brothers, represents the French interpretation of Sturm und drang and mixes 18th century form with the drama of pre-romantic sensibilities.
Program length: 75 minutes including a 10-minute intermission
Sounding Springtime
Franz Joseph Haydn String Quartet in E flat Major, Op. 33 No. 2
Hyacinthe Jadin String Quartet in F Minor, Op. 1, No. 3
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart String Quartet in G Major, K. 387 “Spring”
Sounding Springtime highlights Haydn’s influence on composers of the 18th century by featuring works by two composers who dedicated string quartets collections to the elder composer, Hyacinthe Jadin and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Nicknamed “The Joke,” Haydn’s String Quartet in E-flat Major, Op. 33, No. 2 belongs to the beloved and influential opus that the composer himself described as being “written in a completely new and special style.”
Program length: 80 minutes including a 10-minute intermission
“Zum weißen Schwan”
Zmeskall Quartet in D minor, No. 10
Beethoven Piano Major in F Major No. 9, Op. 14, No. 1 for String Quartet Arr. by Beethoven
Beethoven String Quartet in D Major, Op. 18 no. 3 OR Beethoven String Quartet in F Major, Op. 18 No. 1
Named after the tavern where the two friends Ludwig van Beethoven and Nikolaus Zmeskall often met, this program celebrates their friendship by featuring quartets of the two composers, and concludes with Beethoven’s “Serioso” string quartet, which Beethoven dedicated to Count Zmeskall.
Program length: 70 minutes including a 10-minute intermission
Mozart’s Friend and Muse, Anton Stadler
Mozart String Quartet in D Minor, K. 421
Mozart Clarinet Quintet in A Major, K. 581
The Cramer Quartet welcomes Angélica Meza to the stage to perform Mozart Clarinet Quintet in A Major, K. 421 with the historical basset clarinet, the instrument associated most with Mozart’s close friend and muse, the virtuoso Anton Stadler. Mozart’s stormy String Quartet in D Minor, K. 421 begins the program, offering a dramatic contrast to the warmth and charm of Mozart's beloved clarinet quintet.
Program length: 65 minutes including a 10-minute intermission
Schubertiade
Quartettsatz in C minor, D 703
String Quartet No. 10 in E-flat major, D. 87
String Quintet in C Major, D. 956
Inspired by the spirit of 19th Century Vienna, the Cramer Quartet presents their very own Schubertiade in celebration of Franz Schubert's lyrical and poignant contribution to chamber music for strings. The program includes Schubert's Quartettsatz in C minor, an impassioned work of extreme contrasts that was intended to be the first movement of a complete quartet; Schubert's String Quartet No. 10 in E-flat, an early quartet written when the composer was just sixteen years old and nicknamed the "Haushaltung" (Household) Quartet because it was premiered privately by members of his family; and the beloved String Quintet in C Major.
Program length: 85 minutes including a 10-minute intermission
Program lengths can be adjusted with additions and or subtractions of pieces. Please feel free to inquire about commissions from