Chamber Music Festival

The third rendition of the Milwaukee Chamber Music Festival presents the complete cycle of Beethoven’s Razumovsky String Quartets – three pieces that changed the genre of the string quartet in their symphonic scope and emotional depth. Divided into three concerts, these iconic pieces will be performed by members of the Milwaukee Symphony and paired with Russian, Czech, Estonian, German, and French music.

The opening concert features the First Razumovsky Quartet, a piece that begins with a joyful cello melody and ends with a Russian folk theme as an homage to count Razumovsky, the Russian ambassador to Vienna. It is paired with two piano trios: the short and turbulent Elegiac Trio by Russian giant Rachmaninoff and the Czech-folk-inspired and heart-breaking trio by Smetana.

The Second Razumovsky Quartet includes a reflective second movement that was said to be inspired by Beethoven looking at the starry sky. It musically converses with Arvo Pärt’s Spiegel im Spiegel (“a mirror inside of a mirror”) – both pieces minimalistic and hypnotic in their beauty. The concert culminates with Brahms’ Clarinet Quintet, one of the greatest chamber works ever written. Using some Hungarian folk-like elements throughout, Brahms’ piece corresponds with Beethoven’s use of a familiar Russian Folk Song, “Slava.”

The Third Razumovsky Quartet is the only one in the cycle that does not contain a Russian theme. Daring in its harmonic language, it paved the way to new sound worlds for the composers who followed. Its final movement will leave you jaw-dropped and head-spinning. It is paired with an all-French second half, starting with Debussy’s exploration of new sonorities in the unusual combination of flute, viola and harp. As the Festival opened with the sounds of the cello, it closes with Franck’s Cello Sonata – a rich, emotional piece, full of lyricism and virtuosity.

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Festival Program

Thursday, August 27, 2026

Beethoven – String Quartet No. 7 in F major, Op. 59 “Razumovsky no. 1”

Rachmaninoff – Trio élégiaque No. 1 in G minor

Smetana – Piano Trio

Musicians:

Ilana Setapen, Alexander Ayers, violins

Elizabeth Breslin, viola

Madeleine Kabat, cello

Yaniv Dinur, piano

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Friday, August 28, 2026

Beethoven – String Quartet No. 8 in E minor, Op. 59 “Razumovsky No. 2”

Arvo Pärt – Spiegel im Spiegel

Brahms – Clarinet Quintet

Musicians:

Jeanyi Kim, Ji-Yeon Lee, violins

Nathan Hackett, viola

Madeleine Kabat, cello

Todd Levy, clarinet

Yaniv Dinur, piano

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Sunday, August 30, 2026

Beethoven - String Quartet No. 9 in C major, Op. 59 “Razumovsky No. 3”

Debussy – Sonata for flute, viola and harp

Franck – Cello Sonata

Musicians:

Jennifer Bouton, flute

Julia Coronelli, harp

Jinwoo Lee, Ji-Yeon Lee, violins

Alejandro Duque, viola

Peter Thomas, cello

Yaniv Dinur, piano