Immediately before he wrote his First Symphony, Beethoven wrote this Septet as a prototype or practice run. He was so ready for the nine symphonies that followed that this Septet became his most popular piece during his lifetime. You could almost call it his Tenth Symphony. Thrill to the full symphonic sound of this work and the Ireland Sextet that precedes it. J.J. Koh (clarinet), Judith Farmer (bassoon), and Fritz Foss (horn) join our string section led so expertly by David Perry. John Ireland’s colorful and dramatic Sextet for Clarinet, Horn, and Strings, probably inspired by the Beethoven, is a neglected masterpiece. It’s romantic English charm and colorful and dramatic scoring will make you happy you’ve discovered it.
Sextet (1898) • John Ireland
Clarinet, Horn, and String Quartet
Septet in E-flat Major, Op. 20 • Ludwig van Beethoven
Clarinet, Bassoon, Horn, Violin, Viola, Cello, and Bass
Musicians
JJ Koh, Clarinet
Fritz Foss, Horn
Judith Farmer, Bassoon
David Perry & Ann Palen, Violin
Sally Chisholm, Viola
Cole Randolph, Cello
Jeremy Attanaseo, Bass
Sponsored by Sandy Zingler
The 2024 Season is sponsored by the Jean Berkenstock Family Fund and the Susan DeWitt Davie Legacy Fund.