STRAUSS - Sextet from Capriccio, Op. 85

STRAUSS Sextet from Capriccio, Op. 85
Eunice Kim, violin
Marié Rossano, violin
Born Lau, viola
Roberto Díaz, viola
Timotheos Petrin, cello
Oliver Aldort, cello
Performed on Tuesday, September 16, 2014
Field Concert Hall, Curtis Institute of Music, Philadelphia
Words or music? Which is more important?
This topic is explored in Richard Strauss’s last opera, Capriccio, as two suitors-a poet and a composer-vie for the heart of Countess Madeleine. The first act of the opera opens as this sextet is performed in the Countess’s chateau, and it is revealed that the composer suitor has written it as a kind of love letter to Countess Madeleine.
The sextet is a testament to the composer’s ardor, woven together with soaring melodies and lush harmonies. Strauss displays his mastery of colorful textures in this homage to the elegant style of Rococo chamber music.
This piece has special ties to Curtis on Tour, as it was a part of the program on the inaugural tour in 2008. A favorite of tour audiences, the sextet made a second appearance on the 2014 Asian tour.
-Hannah Horine
September and October 2014
String Sextet Tour of Asia and Germany
Tour Performances:
Curtis Institute of Music (Philadelphia)
Asia Society Hong Kong Center (Hong Kong)
Chinese University of Hong Kong (Hong Kong)
Kumho Art Hall (Seoul, South Korea)
National Taiwan Normal University (Taipei, Taiwan)
Taipei National University of the Arts (Taipei, Taiwan)
Hochschule für Musik Carl Maria von Weber (Dresden, Germany)
Henry A. Kissinger Prize Ceremony, American Academy in Berlin (Berlin, Germany)
Learn more about this work: • Video
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