Chamber music from the end of the nineteenth century? That may make you think of Brahms or Dvořak. But did you know that Bruckner once wrote a string quintet? And that Verdi wrote a string quartet?
Bruckner wrote his quintet in 1878 and 1879, right between his fifth and sixth symphonies. You can hear the symphonic Bruckner, but fortunately, the composer also understands he should not transpose the sound blocks of his orchestral music to the intimate settings of five soloists.
Verdi wrote his quartet in 1873 while he was staying in Naples for an opera performance. His quartet does not have the pretension of Bruckner’s quintet, but it is worthwhile.
You will hear two other works in this episode. The concert where Bruckner was played also featured Epitaph, a quintet by the Australian Brett Dean. The third quartet precedes Verdi’s string quartet by Shostakovich, which the Russian composed shortly after the war.
