Tenebrae

Victor Ullmann String Quartet No. 3 (1943)

Jonathan Berger Tenebrae (World Premiere)

Felix Mendelssohn String Quartet No. 6 in F minor, Op. 80

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Victor Ullmann wrote his String Quartet No. 3 in 1943 during his time in the Terezin concentration camp. It is widely considered to be his finest work, drawing on his studies with Arnold Schoenberg and expressing emotions ranging from despair to resilience. Tenebrae services historically use the extinguishing of candles to create an atmosphere of darkness and shadows that heighten reflections on spiritual suffering. Jonathan Berger’s new work for string quartet contains references to musico-linguistic devices found in ninth century Tenebrae services as well as to Paul Celan’s poem Tenebrae which often is interpreted to depict the anguish the poet felt about the Holocaust. Felix Mendelssohn wrote his String Quartet in F minor, Op. 80 shortly after the sudden death of his beloved sister Fanny. This work is regarded as one of his most expressive, channeling grief and rage but also offers moments of profound reflection.

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