Mozart-Haydn Festival
Escher Quartet
Friday, September 24, 2010, 12:00 pm
Rideau Chapel, National Gallery of Canada
Featuring
- Escher Quartet
- HAYDN String Quartet No. 30 in E-flat major, Op. 33, No. 2, "Joke"
- MOZART String Quartet No. 19 in C major, K. 465, "Dissonance"
The rich mutual influences between Haydn and Mozart reached their zenith in the string quartet form. Haydn was the recognized inventor and master of the genre, and Mozart his worthy successor. In homage, Mozart dedicated a set of six quartets to "Papa" Haydn, and K. 465 is the last. The "Dissonance" set tongues wagging in Vienna because of its daring opening measures. As for the "Joke," Haydn had fun in the last movement of this quartet, teasing listeners with long pauses and false endings.