Quartetto

Finnish composer, pianist and conductor Olli Mustonen (b. 1967) composed his Quartetto in 2010 for the Tucson Winter Chamber Music Festival, where it was premiered in March 2011. In contrast to a traditional piano quartet, the cello is here replaced by the oboe. The piece has two movements, “Quasi una passacaglia” and “Es muss sein”; the latter refers to the text Beethoven scribbled over the finale of his string quartet Op. 135. The Quartetto offers a wide sound spectrum and contrasts between mysterious, lamenting, hopeful, and ecstatically emotional passages. It is highly virtuosic and demanding for the players.

(c) Jason Stell and Tilman Skowroneck