ATHENS, Ga. — UGA Presents welcomes the Brentano String Quartet to Ramsey Concert Hall Sunday, Sept. 27, at 3 p.m. for an afternoon of music by Ludwig van Beethoven and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The quartet’s first appearance at the University of Georgia in more than 20 years will explore works shaped by themes of tragedy, lamentation and mourning.
With a career spanning more than three decades, the Brentano String Quartet has established itself as one of the world’s preeminent chamber ensembles. Known for its probing interpretive style, distinctive musical sensibility and warm, lyrical sound, the quartet has performed at leading venues and festivals across five continents.
Their program opens with Beethoven’s String Quartet in F Major, Op. 18, No. 1. Composed in the late 1790s and published in 1801, the quartet represents Beethoven’s first major contribution to a musical form dominated by the examples of Haydn and Mozart. Although revolutionary to audiences of Beethoven’s time, the work’s melodic directness and energetic character make it an inviting introduction to his six Op. 18 quartets.
The quartet’s slow second movement is particularly remarkable. Beethoven reportedly told his friend, the violinist Ignaz Schuppanzigh, that he had composed it with the tomb scene from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet in mind. The movement’s intense emotional character stands in striking contrast to the brisk humor of the following scherzo.
Mozart’s String Quartet in D Minor, K. 421 follows. One of six quartets Mozart dedicated to Haydn, the work is the only one in a minor key among Mozart’s final 10 string quartets. Its persistent D minor tonality, chromatic writing and emotional tension give the quartet an unusually dark and dramatic character. The music’s expressive intensity has led scholars to associate it with the early emergence of musical Romanticism.
The afternoon concludes with Beethoven’s String Quartet in F Major, Op. 59, No. 1, one of the three quartets Beethoven composed for Russian Count Andreas Kirillovich Rasumovsky. Written between 1804 and 1806, the quartet marked a dramatic expansion of Beethoven’s conception of the string quartet. The work is substantially larger in scale than the Op. 18 quartets, with expansive themes and an almost symphonic breadth.
Its deeply expressive third movement, marked Adagio molto e mesto, provides the emotional heart of the work. The finale incorporates a Russian theme, fulfilling Rasumovsky’s request that Beethoven include Russian folk melodies in the quartets. The Op. 59 quartets initially perplexed both performers and audiences, but Beethoven’s radical rethinking of the genre ultimately helped establish the string quartet as one of the most ambitious forms of musical expression.
Formed in 1992, the Brentano String Quartet has received numerous honors, including the prestigious Naumburg and Cleveland Quartet Awards. The group takes its name from Antonie Brentano, whom many scholars identify as the possible recipient of Beethoven’s famous “Immortal Beloved” love letter. During the 2026–27 season, the ensemble will tour extensively throughout North America and begin a complete Beethoven quartet cycle at Wigmore Hall in London and the 92nd Street Y in New York.
SUPPORTERS
This performance is supported by Patricia and Daniel Minkler, with additional support from the Franklin College Chamber Music Society.
TICKETS
Securing tickets for UGA Presents performances couldn’t be easier. There are three ways to choose from:
- Purchase tickets online 24/7 here.
- Call the Performing Arts Center Box Office at (706) 542-4400, Mon.-Fri., 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
- Visit the UGA Performing Arts Center Box Office, Mon.-Fri., 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
You may also create your own series of three or more performances (10% off). UGA Presents single tickets start at just $30 with promo code PAC30, and UGA student tickets are $15. Information about accessibility and venue amenities is available on the PAC website. Parking is free.
(Photo: Frank Jurgen)
