From Vienna to Hollywood

The String Quartet in E flat major op. 12 by Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy was composed in 1829 and is one of his best-known chamber music works. It was written by Mendelssohn when he was only 18 years old and already demonstrates hisextraordinarytalent as a composer. Although the film world of Hollywood could not have been imagined during Mendelssohn’s lifetime, there is an interesting connection between his music and Korngold’s first trip to Hollywood.

Erich Wolfgang Korngold, who, like Mendelssohn, was already a consummate artist as a teenager and was one of the three great prodigies of music history, emigrated from Vienna to the USA due to his Jewish origins and composed film music for classics such as “Robin Hood”. However, his first invitation to Hollywood came from Max Reinhardt in 1934, when he was commissioned to arrange Mendelssohn’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” for the film of the same name. His second string quartet is full of humor and gestures from his Viennese period.

The Hungarian composer MiklósRósza also became one of Hollywood’s most famous film composers. He studied in Vienna and, like Korngold, was forced to emigrate to the USA because of his Jewish origins. His first string quartet is a firework of brilliance that combines Hungarian rhythms and melodies with late Romantic sensuality.

The Hegel Quartet
wasfoundedby musicianswhose artisticpersonalitieshave been shaped by many years of experience as soloists, chamber musicians and orchestral musicians together with internationally renowned mentors and partners. Their exploration of the quartet literature combines the power and diversity of the orchestral perspective with the flexibility and spontaneity of virtuoso soloists. Each program is carefully designed to illustrate an era, a zeitgeist or a thematic idea. However, the interpretations reach beyond their idealistic conception and captivate the audiencewith the emotional depth of their performance.