Although he was famous throughout Vienna as a songwriter, Franz Schubert secretly yearned for something more. It was only in the decades after his death at age 31 that his friends and admirers learned what he spent his fateful final year working on: a series of instrumental works, each more ambitious than the last – including a monumental string quintet that was easily the equal of Ludwig van Beethoven’s celebrated late works.
A precocious child prodigy who excelled at nearly everything he attempted, Felix Mendelssohn had grown up with only one real friend and confidante: his older sister, Fanny, who would have been a composer in her own right had it been possible. Decades later, her sudden death sent Felix into a tailspin, and the string quartet he composed in her memory became his requiem, too, as his frail health finally gave out.
Every great piece of music has a story, and we have a podcast that tells those stories in easy, bite-sized servings: Masterworks in 10 Minutes or Less. Season 3 is already underway, with episodes devoted to Schubert’s C-major String Quintet and Mendelssohn’s F-minor String Quartet, plus four more episodes coming in the spring, all featuring highlights from Chamber Music Tulsa’s 2021-22 season. It’s musicological insight you can use, and a great opportunity to get to know music by Schubert, Mendelssohn, Beethoven and Ravel on your own schedule!
And if you’ve missed an episode, you can find Season 1 here, and Season 2 here.
For even more highlights from upcoming concerts, tune in to Classical Tulsa with Jason Heilman, every Friday at noon on Classical 88.7 KWTU HD-1.
