Beethoven's Razumovsky Quartet No. 1

In 1802, at a moment of deep despair over the irreversible advance of deafness, Ludwig van Beethoven writes to his brothers a text that will remain hidden until after his death — the so-called 'Heiligenstadt Testament'. More than a farewell, this is a harrowing confession of isolation, humiliation and resistance. However, the text ends with a firm moral resolution: to continue living 'for Art'. The first of the three Razumovsky quartets, Op.59 No. 1, and the first composed after this dramatic period, arises precisely in this circumstance. The monumentality of the work coexists with moments of painful introspection, as if the human tension revealed in the testament found a musical parallel here. Still, at the heart of this quartet there is a certain luminous and ethereal quality that conveys hope and reaffirms the desire to live. Between lyricism, heroism and restlessness, this quartet demonstrates Beethoven's ability to transform personal crisis into artistic creation of universal dimension. Formed by Alexis Hatch, Vicente Sobral, Irma Skenderi and Irene Lima, the Quarteto Alma Nova emerges driven by this creative force of rebirth and love of art of which Beethoven is one of the greatest examples. With different paths in leadership roles in Portugal's main orchestras, the four musicians find in the string quartet a space for listening, vulnerability and artistic reinvention. Concert commented by Pedro Wallenstein. Accessibility: Session with Audio Description.