B-flat Major, K. 458, which radiates a sunny disposition. Its sobriquet, “The

Hunt, ” stems from the horn call used in the opening theme of the first

movement {Allegro vivace assai). The recurrence of this horn figure

throughout the first movement lends it a happy, bucolic atmosphere. The

second movement {Menuetto: Moderato) has an ABA format, in which a

syncopated theme that is rhythmic yet somber (A) precedes and follows a trio

(B section) that is rhythmically stable, harmonically delightful, and freespirited. The lyrical third movement {Adagio) has themes that are mellifluous 

and poignant. Its sensuous disposition presages emotional qualities associated 

with the romantic era. The finale {Allegro assai) has a spontaneous and

capricious spirit noted by Walter Cobbett (1847-1937) in his book Cyclopedic

Survey ofChamber Music: “[The movement has] a Mozartean roguishness and

Haydnesque humor.”

Antonin Dvorak’s Waltzes, Op. 54, contained eight waltzes for solo

piano when completed in 1880. Due to their rhythmic complexity, these

waltzes do not lend themselves to dancing, but are suited instead to the concert 

stage. Dvorak, who was quite enamored with them, almost immediately

arranged the first and fourth ofthe set for string quartet. The manuscript copies

of these two compositions in a new genre were circulated widely among

amateur groups while Dvorak was alive, but the printed scores did not become

available until 1911, seven years after his death. Dvorak liked the waltzes so

much that he arranged them for string orchestra and included them in a concert 

he conducted in March 1880 at the National Theater in Prague.

The Russian melodies found in Beethoven’s String Quartet in C

Major, Op. 59, No. 3, not only recall themes used in the second quartet from

the same opus, but also salute the patron to whom all three “Rasumovsky’’

Quartets are dedicated. Andreas Kyrillovich Rasumovsky (1752-1836) was the

Russian ambassador to the Habsburg imperial court when Beethoven lived and

worked in Vienna. The ambassador recognized the uniqueness of Beethoven’s

music and frequently hosted musicales in which it featured prominently. The

quartet has a nickname, “Heroic, ” which refers to the ceremoniously bold

presentation of the opening movement’s second theme. That theme is very

close to Beethoven’s fourth and fifth symphonies in spirit and summarizes the

overall experience of the “Rasumovsky ” Quartets, which in turn encapsulate 

the ideas and emotions oftheir time.

Programs notes by Elmer Booze

The Sixty-second Season of

THE WILLIAM NELSON CROMWELL and

F. LAMMOT BELIN CONCERTS

National Gallery of Art

2490th Concert

THE BARTOK QUARTET

PETER KOMLOS, violin GEZA HARGITAI, violin

GEZA NEMETH, viola LASZLO MEZO, cello

Sunday Evening, 21 March 2004

Seven O’clock

West Building, West Garden Court

Admission free
Program

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Quartet in B-flat Major (“The Hunt”)

(1756-1791) K. 458 (1785)

Allegro vivace assai

Menuetto: Moderato

Adagio

Allegro assai

Antonin Dvorak

(1841-1904)

Two Waltzes

(1880)

Waltz in A Major, Op. 54, No. 1 (Moderato)

Waltz in D Major, Op. 54, No. 4 (Allegro vivace)

Intermission

Ludwig van Beethoven Quartet in C Major (“Rasumovsky”)

(1770-1827) Op. 59, No. 3 (1805-1806)

Introduzione: Andante con moto; allegro vivace

Andante con moto quasi allegretto

Menuetto: Grazioso

Allegro molto

The use of cameras or recording equipment during

the performance is not allowed. Please he sure that cell

phones, pagers, and other electronic devices are turned off.

For the convenience ofconcertgoers

the Garden Cafe remains open until 6:30 p.m.

The Musicians

The Bartok Quartet’s tonal beauty, clarity, directness, and exceptional 

ensemble playing have inspired critics and audiences alike to acclaim it as one of

the most distinguished chamber groups on the international scene. “It is clearly

one ol the great quartets of the world” (The New York Times). Formed

in 1957, the Bartok Quartet rose to worldwide fame as winner of the 1959

International Haydn Competition in Budapest and the International Schumann

Competition in Berlin the following year. In 1963 the ensemble captured first

place at the Budapest Competition and the prestigious International String

Quartet Competition in Liege, Belgium. The Kossuth Prize, Hungary’s highest

award, was conferred upon the quartet in 1970 and again in 1997.

The quartet members first played together at the Franz Liszt Academy of

Music in Budapest under the tutelage ofthe renowned teacher and composer Leo

Weiner. Inspired and encouraged by Weiner, they formed a professional 

ensemble and called themselves the Komlos Quartet until 1963, when the name

of Hungary’s greatest twentieth-century composer was chosen. The group

performs on four of the finest instruments of the eighteenth century. First

violinist Peter Komlos plays the famed “Hamma” Stradivarius built in 1731.

The Bartok Quartet’s frequent tours of North America have taken it to

virtually every major music center, including New York, Los Angeles, San

Francisco, Boston, Cincinnati, Baltimore, New Orleans, Quebec, Toronto, and

Montreal. Recent schedules have taken the quartet to such major festivals as

Tanglewood, Spoleto, Salzburg, Edinburgh, Aix-en-Provence, and Lucerne. The

quartet has presented and recorded the complete string quartets of its eponym,

Bela Bartok, on many occasions, earning exceptional critical acclaim in the

process. The ensemble’s recording of the Beethoven quartets was cited by High

Fidelity as one of the greatest recordings of the last quarter century. The Bartok

Quartet appears at the National Gallery by arrangement with Curzon & Kedersha 

Artists Management ofNew York City.

Program Notes

Mozart expressed profound respect and admiration for the inimitable string

quartet writing of his “most dear friend” Joseph Haydn in the dedication ofthe

set of six string quartets he wrote in 1785, which are known as the “Haydn”

Quartets. Outstanding among those quartets is the fourth, the String Quartet in