The Varian Fry Quartet with Mozart, Shostakovich, and Schoenberg

In his expressive Second String Quartet, Arnold Schönberg processed a severe marital crisis. A soprano voice, singing texts by Stefan George and performed by Anna Prohaska, adds further intensity to the work. Schönberg’s younger contemporary Dmitri Shostakovich composed his anguished String Quartet No. 8 under the impression of the bombed city of Dresden as a protest against war and fascism. The Varian Fry Quartet’s concert opens with Mozart. During a stay at the home of a Baroque enthusiast, Mozart encountered Bach’s keyboard fugues. Fascinated by their austere beauty, he arranged some of them for string quartet.