Sunday Classics preview: More of the Beethoven Septet and the Schubert Octet -- two Andantes

The start of the fourth-movement theme and variations of the Schubert Octet played by Chen Halevi, clarinet; Radovan Vlatkovic, horn; Sergio Azzolini, bassoon; Janine Jansen and Julia-Maria Kretz, violins; Maxim Rysanov, viola; Jens Peter Maintz, cello; and Stacey Watton, double bass -- from an undated AVRO (Dutch) telecast; we're going to hear more of this performance tomorrow.

by Ken

Last night we heard the minuets and scherzos that (in flip-flopped order) bracket the theme-and-variations fourth movements of the Beethoven Septet and the Schubert Octet. As promised, tonight we hear those theme-and-variations movements.

I suggested that the two works, for virtually identical ensembles. (Schubert simply added a second violin to Beethoven's lineup of clarinet, horn, bassoon, violin, viola, cello, and double bass) are connected. This isn't hypothetical.) The composition of Schubert's Octet was in fact prompted by a suggestion from clarinetist Ferdinand Troyer, hoping to have another work to play which might tap into the popularity of Beethoven's Septet.


FOR TONIGHT'S INSTALLMENT OF THE BEETHOVEN
SEPTET AND THE SCHUBERT OCTET, CLICK HERE


IN TOMORROW'S SUNDAY CLASSICS POST: The complete Schubert Octet

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