On Sunday June 16th, we attended a performance at the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde in

Vienna, Austria where we observed the Kuchl-Quartett. The string quartet was comprised on

Rainer Kuchl (Violin), Daniel Froschauer (violin), Heinrich Koll (viola), and Robert Nagy

(cello). The three pieces that they played were heightened and embellished by the opulent nature

of the theater and the gold embellishments. The concert was in the evening, which helped

because I was attentive and could enjoy the music how the composers intended me to hear it.

The first piece of the concert was Joseph Haydn’s “String Quartet in B flat major, Hob.

III: 69.” In this piece there were four movements. The first movement, which was allegro, had a

polyphonic texture and featured tempo increases that were accompanied by dynamic level

changes simultaneously. The second movement, which was adagio, was slower and sadder than

the first movement. The musicians used tremolo throughout the movement in order to increase

the drama. In the third movement, the first violin led the melody, which was joyful and was in a

higher register. In the fourth movement, the musicians utilized the bow technique, gettato, in

order to make the notes have a jumpy quality, and it was played in vivace.

The second piece of the concert was Antonin Dvorak’s “String Quartet in E major, op.

135.” In this piece there were four movements. The first movement has polyphonic texture and is

in a higher register. The second movement was comprised of the different musicians using

pizzicato and switching off who is performing the melody. The third movement was in a lower

register and there is a diminuendo during the middle of the movement for tension and drama. In

the fourth movement, there are increases and decreasing dynamic levels and short fast notes for

intensity.

The third piece of the concert is Ludwig van Beethoven’s “String Quartet in F major, op.

135.” There are four movements in this piece. In the first movement, there is call and response
between the violin and the viola. The texture switches from monophonic to homophonic to

polyphonic, which creates excitement and drama. The second piece had lots of dissonance and

short fast notes. In the third movement, there is more consonance than the previous movement

and sounds sadder and more eerie. As the notes of the third movement get longer, there is a

crescendo that causes the sad tone to be more dramatic. The fourth movement featured a call and

response between the violin, viola, and cello. Also, there were cadences that made the

dissonance more intense, creating a dramatic ending. After this piece, they performed an encore.

I am so glad that I was able to attend this concert – I was able to see how this class is

changing the way that I listen to music. The smaller more intimate concert hall allowed me to see

the musician’s emotions and see how the musicians interacted with each other. It was a really

amazing experience to hear a string quartet in a theater that was specifically made for concertos

and smaller group performances. I found it so cool that I was able to actually pick out the

differences in the pieces that classified them into different styles (Classical vs. Romantic) – it

proved to me that I have learned a lot and come a long way since pre-departure week. I enjoyed

watching the celloist play because his expression and movements reflected the emotions and

intensity of the music. The audience of the concert also helped me enjoy the concert because it

made me realize that the Viennese culture places a lot of emphasis on traditional music. Once

again, this concert experience was eye opening because I could actually see the musicians

communicating with each other through eye contact – these things are easy to take for granted

while watching videos and listening to music in class because it takes away the intimate feeling

that a concert provides.

The performance at the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde in Vienna was a surreal

experience that allowed me to see what we have been learning in class in real life. All three
compositions were amazing exhibitions of how a string quartet can be used to portray intense

and dramatic music.

Works Cited

“Kuchl-Quartett” Rainer Kuchl, Daniel Froschauer, Heinrich Koll, Robert Nagy – Program

Notes.