Hope Street Ensemble: The Classical Inheritance 1

Beethoven String Quartet No.11 in F Minor, Op.95Brahms String Quintet No.2 in G Major, Op.111Emily Mowbray ViolinQian Wu ViolinBen Newton ViolaRachel Jones ViolaAlexander Holladay CelloBeethoven’s 'Serioso' Quartet and Brahms’ Second String Quintet were written at turning points in each composer’s life – and both are intense works carrying a strong sense of reflection.

Whilst Beethoven’s music is tightly focused and dramatic, Brahms’ is broader, warmer and filled with a feeling of late-life richness.

Heard together, they show two different responses to inner struggle: one fierce and compressed, the other expansive and thought-provoking.