Beethoven: String Quartet No.10 "Harp"

Ludwig van Beethoven: String Quartet No.10 in E-flat Major, Op.74 -"Harp"
I. Poco Adagio - Allegro 
II. Adagio ma non troppo
III. Presto
IV. Allegretto con variazioni

About the Program

Ludwig Van Beethoven hardly needs an introduction as he is arguably the most famous composer of all time. Whether one realizes or not, there is rarely someone who hasn’t heard the famous theme of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5. Beethoven’s music has been performed countless times by musicians around the world for more than two centuries! Most recently his music has been used in numerous movie soundtracks and can also be heard referenced in pop music.

Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 10 was composed in 1809 during a tumultuous time in Beethoven’s life. In the fall of 1808 he was offered a position as Kapellmeister in the court of Jerome Bonaparte (Napoleon's brother). However an archduke and two princes of Vienna persuaded Beethoven to stay home by offering him a handsome salary for composing and performing. Unfortunately, Napoleon's army invaded Vienna in 1809 only a few months after Beethoven accepted the position. The Austrian currency destabilized, and Beethoven’s employers were either killed in military duty or lost everything in bankruptcy. It was many years before Beethoven was paid some of what he was originally owed.

Beethoven hid in the cellar of his brother’s house during the French invasion of Vienna. While hiding out he was struggling with the onset of hearing loss. To protect what little hearing he had left from the cacophony of battle, he covered his ears with pillows. By 1814 he had lost the majority of his hearing and played his final performances as a concert pianist.

Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 10 was nicknamed the “Harp” quartet by the publisher, which refers to the pizzicato passages passed between players simulating the sound of a harp. The first movement starts with a slow introduction that has been compared to the opening of Mozart’s earlier quartet nicknamed the “Dissonance” quartet. The rest of the movement continues in sonata form with the introduction of the first theme in the violin. The pizzicato passages continue throughout, either between the two violins or between the viola and cello. The coda of the movement is truly where the “Harp” quartet earns its nickname. The first violin plays an incredibly challenging frenzy of notes while the cello, viola, and 2nd violin create the harp sounds by passing the pizzicato from one player to the next. The second movement is a gorgeous adagio with beautiful melodies and moments of hymn-like reverence. The third movement is a scherzo with incredible virtuosity required by all performers. It is darker in character than the first and second movements and could perhaps represent some of the turmoil of the time in which it was composed. The final movement begins with a hopeful sounding melody just as the third movement fades into nothing. The melody (or theme) recurs throughout the final movement in a series of six variations. The quartet was finally premiered in the fall of 1809 after the Austrian nobility returned to power.

CONCERT ARTISTS

Angie Smart

Angie Smart/Violin
​Angie Smart has been a First Violinist with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra since 1998. Originally from England, she began violin lessons at the age of six, and at thirteen won a scholarship to attend Chetham’s School of Music in Manchester. She arrived in the U.S. in 1990 to continue her studies in music, completing her master’s degree at Rice University in Houston. Smart has performed extensively in Europe and the U.S. and has appeared as a soloist with the SLSO several times, alongside conductors including Hans Vonk and Gemma New. These engagements have included Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, Beethoven’s Romance No. 2, and Bruch’s Scottish Fantasy, to name a few. An active chamber musician, Smart has performed works by composers including Philip Glass, Steve Reich, and John Adams, as part of the SLSO: Live at the Pulitzer series. She also performs frequently with the Missouri Chamber Music Festival and the Chamber Music Society of St. Louis. Her television appearances have included master classes with Yehudi Menuhin and as the subject of a documentary profiling young musicians. Among other master classes, she has played for Midori and Zakhar Bron.

Smart competed in the 10th International Tchaikovsky Competition and the Yehudi Menuhin Competition. She has also been a prizewinner in many other competitions, including the British Violin Recital Prize, Elizabeth Harper Vaughan Concerto Competition, and the William C. Byrd Young Artists Competition. An active teacher, Smart maintains a large private studio with students ranging from 10 to 18 years old, many of whom play in the St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra. Her son, Theo Bockhorst, is currently the Co-Concertmaster of the St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra and plans to attend conservatory in the Fall of 2020.

Eva Kozma

Eva Kozma/Violin
A native of Romania, Eva Kozma began her tenure as the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra’s Assistant Principal Second Violin in September 2004. Studying violin in Romania and at McGill University, Kozma has performed with the Targu Mures Philharmonic and the Societe Philharmonique de Montreal. Additionally, she received a Fellowship to the Tanglewood Music Center and performed with the New World Symphony in Miami prior to her appointment with the SLSO.
With the SLSO, she considers participating in community and education programs one the most valuable roles. She enthusiastically participates in SLSO appearances at St. Louis-area schools, hospital, and other community spaces. As a soloist, she performed Ravel’s Tzigane under David Robertson in 2015 and Hubay’s Hejre Kati at the 2018 New Year’s Eve concert.
An enthusiastic chamber musician, Kozma regularly performs with small ensembles around the St. Louis region. She is a member of the Chamber Music Society of St. Louis and has performed at the Missouri Chamber Music Festival and the Gesher Music Festival. She also enjoys performing at Westminster Presbyterian Church and teaching children in her neighborhood.
She lives in Olivette with her husband, a talented sculptor, and her three children, all of whom also play string instruments. She enjoys spending time with her family, staying active with outdoor activities including hiking, biking, and camping, and traveling to her native Romania.

Chris Tantillo

Chris Tantillo/Viola
Chris Tantillo, a native of Long Island, New York, began playing the violin at the age of seven. He switched to viola while attending the Interlochen Arts Academy, where he completed his high school degree. Tantillo received both his Bachelor's of Music degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music in 2002, where he studied with Stanley Konopka, and his Master’s of Music degree while studying with Robert Vernon, Principal Viola of the Cleveland Orchestra. Tantillo has previously performed with the San Diego Symphony and the New World Symphony in Miami Beach, Florida.

Alvin McCall

Alvin McCall/Cello
A member of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra since 1994, cellist Alvin McCall was previously Principal Cello with such ensembles as the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Prism Chamber Orchestra, Philharmonia Virtuosi, Jupiter Symphony, and the Naumberg Orchestra. McCall also served as Assistant Principal Cello with the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra (of which he is still a member), the New York Chamber Symphony, St. Luke’s Chamber Orchestra, and Caramoor Festival Orchestra. Besides these appointments, he was also a member of the New Jersey Symphony and the Santa Fe Opera Orchestra.
An accomplished recitalist and chamber musician as well, McCall is the founding member of the McCall-Deats Duo. The Duo has recorded both the Rachmaninoff and Shostakovich sonatas. He has also performed chamber music with fellow SLSO members at the Sheldon, Piper Palm House, Summerfest, Innsbrook, and other local venues. As a soloist, he has appeared with the University City Symphony, Virginia Philharmonic, Moscow Academic Symphony Orchestra, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, and the SLSO.