Chamber music by Schubert and Beethoven, performed by the Belcea Quartet and the pianist Christian Zacharias.

The violinists Corina Belcea-Fisher and Axel Schacher, Krzystof Chorzelski at the viola and Antoine Lederlin at the cello are one of the best ensembles of chord quartets in the world today: the Belcea Quartet, founded at the Royal College of Music in London in 1994. The Romanian violinist and the Polish violist are the two founder members of the quartet and they have the two young French beside them, so that this cultural background somehow explains two of the qualities that are characteristic to the Belcea Quartet: the dynamics and stylistic liberty. 'The Belcea Quartet combines these different influences in a common musical language' ( http://www.belceaquartet.com ) having as mentors famous members of the Amadeus and the Alban Berg quartets.

Belcea Quartet - and the music of the two Viennese Schools

In the fall of 2015, the Belcea Quartet will be celebrating 20 years of existence by performing a series of recitals in which the music of Schoenberg, Webern and Berg will be the highlight of the repertoire, the three composers who represent the so-called The Second Viennese School.

We are listening to them in a chamber music atmosphere which is specific to early 19^th century Vienna: Trio with a D898 piano in B-flat major by Franz Schubert - a collaboration with the pianist Christian Zacharias at the 2014 East Neuk Festival, in Scottland - and a chord Quartet from the op.59 Razumovsky series by Ludwig van Beethoven - recorded live on the Konzerthaus stage in Vienna.

On Tuesday, 2^nd December starting at 15:30 on the Five-Star Concerts programme.