Comedy is a serious business. Beethoven knew that when his exuberant Second Symphony cheerfully booted the classical rule-book out of the window; and John Adams certainly knew it when he leafed through the scherzos of Beethoven鈥檚 late string quartets and transformed them into Absolute Jest: a one-off concerto for string quartet that takes Beethoven seriously enough to laugh along with him. As soloists, the Doric String Quartet definitely get it: and guest conductor Markus Stenz gets it too, pairing Beethoven and Adams with two riotously inventive French Baroque showpieces that prove that the best jokes never get old.
Prelude: 6.45pm in the Recital Room
Markus Stenz in conversation.
Post-Concert Coda (approximately 10 minutes after the main concert)
Why not stay on in the auditorium as the Doric String Quartet play Jan谩膷ek鈥檚 String Quartet No.1 鈥楰reutzer Sonata鈥� (1923).
The main concert will be broadcast live on 大象传媒 Radio 3, presented by Andrew McGregor.
