RTE Vanbrugh Quartet: Aula Maxima, UCC
Right from the dramatic, assertive, unison opening statement of Beethoven’s string quartet, Op 18, No. 1 in F, one is conscious that the young composer had entered a different musical world from that of Haydn and Mozart.
Each of these had developed the string quartet beyond mere ‘entertainment music’ into a world which was constantly pushing the boundaries of structure and tonality, as well as technically challenging the players.
