ALC 0128 Beethoven: Septet Op. 20 - Mendelssohn: String Quintet No. 2, Op. 87

This could be the title which sums up the content of the two live performances contained in this album: the Septet op. 20 (1799-1800) by Ludwig van Beethoven for clarinet, horn, bassoon, violin, viola, cello and double bass and the Quintet in B flat major no.2 op. 87 (1845) by Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy. If for Beethoven, this represents a chronological and creative conclusion to his so-called Classical period, in Mendelssohn’s case, we are faced with a work demonstrating his full maturity. And yet, in both cases there is a sense of fluidity and freshness that allows for immediate emotional appreciation and memorability, especially for the non-professional listener.

Given that Beethoven and Mendelssohn, considered within their overall contexts, occupy two historically distinct roles in both musical and cultural terms, it is worth examining certain parameters that link these two exceptional chamber works. First and foremost, the uniqueness of their instrumentation: in Beethoven’s Septet, seven soloists are featured—three wind instruments complementing the full family of strings; in Mendelssohn’s String Quintet, two violas serve as the atypical central focus of the ensemble. It is evident in both cases how the composers’ craft was, in their daily lives, placed at the service of their patrons: creating according to what might please those who funded the work. This naturally brings up the topic of patronage: is someone who funds culture necessarily a patron, or can they also indulge in entertainment purely for their own pleasure? In this context, can any patron who finances the creation of new music be considered an amateur, a ‘dilettante’? That is to say, to finance something that is of delight to the non-professional musician with the aim of offering delight to the listener at the same time? And therefore, why should it then be necessary to call upon leading professional instrumentalists, as in the case of the first public performances of the two works in question? The answer, with other underlying arguments, is inherent in the ethical function of music itself: to move the listener requires an impeccable technical-executive quality.