The 2014 Winter Festival Series performance is a bit like an episode of Sesame Street devoted to the letter F.

Comprised of three radically different quartets, our program explores the classicism of Mozart, the budding modernism of Benjamin Britten, and a musical form of impressionism in the lone string quartet by French master Maurice Ravel. Interestingly, all three pieces were composed while the respective composer was in his 20’s.

P is for Fantasy: The Phantasy for oboe and string trio, Op. 2, by Benjamin Britten, marked the composer’s first major success. Composed in 1932 and premiered in 1933, the piece eventually garnered international attention by its inclusion in a prominent music festival in Florence, Italy, in 1934. Today the work surely gives Britten serious street cred, if only for his penchant for substituting ‘Ph’ for ‘F’ in his spelling of the word fantasy.

Phantasy. Festival in Florence.

F Major: The Oboe Quartet, K. 370, by Mozart was composed in 1781 for the virtuoso oboe soloist of the famed Mannheim Orchestra, Friedrich Ramm. The English word oboe is derived from the French word haubois meaning high wood. Mozart’s quartet, for all its melodic beauty, is known for its using one of the highest notes of the high wood, the high F.

Famed orchestra. Friedrich. High F.

F Major: French composer Maurice Ravel composed his only string quartet between 1902 and 1903. It is dedicated to his teacher, Gabriel Fauré. While Fauré must have been honored to receive the dedication, he declared the quartet’s Finale to be a failure. Time has proven Fauré to be most incorrect on this score. The quartet is cyclical, meaning that music presented in the first movement reappears throughout the four movements. In the Finale, Ravel makes extensive use of an unconventional rhythmic cycle of five beats and asks the performers to go very fast.

French. Fauré. Finale failure? False! In five. Fast.

If you are the sort who likes to give grades, we hope that you will give our exploration of the letter ‘F’ an A+… certainly not an F!

Benjamin Britten (1913-1976)

Phantasy Quartet in F minor, Op.2 for Oboe and String Trio

W. A Mozart (1756-1791)

Quartet in F Major, K. 370 for Oboe and Strings

I. Allegro

II. Adagio

III. Rondeau: Allegro

Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)

String Quartet in F Major (1903)

I. Allegro moderato. Très doux

II. Assez vif. Très rythmé

III. Très lent

IV. Vif et agité

Artists: Timothy Christie, Maria Sampen, Sally Singer Tuttle, Dan Williams, Harlem Quartet, Jaime Amador, Ilmar Gavilán, Ismar Gomes and Melissa White