HAGEN QUARTETT

There is a tormenting, often romantic central question in Franz Schubert’s works: the question of »where to«. It not only hangs ominously over his numerous songs, where the lyrical ego often ventures into the unknown, but in his instrumental pieces, it also typically represents an inner journey into loneliness, memory, and sometimes, death. In none of his earlier works, however, does the question of »where to« resonate as powerfully as in the string quartets Schubert began composing in 1824. Aware of his own fleeting earthly existence due to syphilis, »Rosamunde« and »Death and the Maiden« encompass the full range of human emotion, from gentle glimmers of hope to the bitter struggle against the inevitable. Reflecting Schubert’s musical contemplation of the question of »where to«, the Hagen Quartet is also stepping into an uncertain future this season: after more than four decades of making music together, the top ensemble will bid farewell to the international stage in 2026 with its final tour.

The concert is part of Festival-Subscription II.