Alexander String Quartet

Bad hair, bad temper and bad attitude: Beethoven, the bad boy from Bonn changed the very way we listen to, think and talk about music. Like him or not, every composer since Beethoven has had to deal, somehow, with his compositional and expressive innovations. This series features four works by Beethoven; a string quartet that profoundly influenced Beethoven, Mozart’s String Quartet No. 18 in A Major, K. 464; and two works powerfully influenced by Beethoven. Along the way the Alexander String Quartet will be joined by the legendary pianist Roger Woodward in a rare performance of Beethoven’s Piano Quartet No. 3 in C Major and my own composition, a quintet for piano and strings, Invasive Species. —Robert Greenberg

Renowned musicologist, author and composer Robert Greenberg provides commentary throughout the concert.

The Alexander String Quartet is a major artistic presence in its home base of San Francisco, and is equally beloved in its second home: the Vanderhoef Studio Theatre. The group returns for its 14th consecutive year on the Mondavi Center season to perform an innovative Beethoven-themed series touching upon the influences leading to the composer’s work, and those works he went on to influence.