Beethoven II
Sønderho Church, Fanø. Wednesday 30th July 2025 at 7.30 pm
All-inclusive Festival Ticket KR. 700,-
Sønderho Church, Fanø. Wednesday 30th July 2025 at 7.30 pm
Beethoven: String Trio in E-flat Major, Op. 3
Francois Devienne: Quartet for bassoon, violin, viola and cello in C major, Op. 73
The ticket includes exclusive cheeses and festival wine at 6:45 PM in Musikkens Hus, located just 100 metres from Sønderho Church.
Beethoven II
Beethoven’s first substantial piece for strings alone was not a string quartet. This seems to have been a deliberate plan on his part – just as it was to begin his published output with three piano trios. By doing this he was utilising forms not already comprehensively updated by Haydn and Mozart, giving himself some room for innovation and relieving some of the pressure he undoubtedly experienced on moving to Vienna.
Although Mozart barely used the string trio, his one major work, the Divertimento in E flat major K563, an acknowledged masterpiece, is the stimulus for this piece. Aside from residing in the same key of E flat major, Beethoven’s work also has six movements, with dance forms used, ‘of the serenade type’, as Daniel Heartz notes – not to mention a slow movement in the key of A flat major, again following Mozart’s lead. Beethoven’s innovation is to push the trio’s capabilities even further, with full bodied writing often taking the piece beyond three and even four parts with the use of double stopping (the players using more than one string simultaneously).
François Devienne (1759–1803) was one of the most celebrated wind players of his time, known both as a virtuoso flutist and a gifted bassoonist. Often called the “French Mozart” for his lightness of touch and elegant style, Devienne was a central figure in Parisian musical life around the time of the French Revolution. He was a founding professor at the newly established Paris Conservatoire and composed a vast body of works that showed off the expressive potential of wind instruments.
The Quartet in C major, Op. 73 for bassoon, violin, viola, and cello reveals Devienne’s flair for combining graceful lyricism with lively interplay between voices. Written in the final years of his life, the piece showcases the bassoon not just as a supporting bass instrument but as a fully singing voice, engaging in true conversation with the strings.
Balancing virtuosic passages with flowing melodies, this quartet offers a rare spotlight for the bassoon in the chamber music repertoire and highlights Devienne’s skill at blending Classical style with a distinctive French elegance.
The work unfolds with elegance and wit, featuring lively dialogues between the bassoon and strings, delicate textures, and graceful phrasing that hint at the influence of both Mozart and the French operatic style. Light-hearted yet expressive, this quartet reveals Devienne’s gift for balancing virtuosic writing with refined musical conversation.
Beethoven: String Trio in E-flat Major, Op. 3
I. Allegro con brio
II. Andante
III. Menuetto: Allegretto
IV. Adagio
V. Menuetto: Moderato
VI. Finale
Francois Devienne: Quartet for bassoon, violin, viola and cello in C major, Op. 73
I. Allegro spiritoso
II. Adagio cantabile
III. Rondo: Allegro moderato
Beethoven II
Tim Crawford – violin, Michel Camille – viola, Philip Skye Graham – cello, Antti Salovaara – bassoon