Distinguished by its virtuosic playing and impassioned interpretations, the Ariel Quartet has earned its glowing international reputation. Formed in Israel nearly 20 years ago, when its members were middle-school students, the quartet now serves as the Faculty Quartet-in-Residence at the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music. Widely considered to include some of Beethoven’s greatest compositions, this cycle consists of 16 quartets divided into three periods: early, when the composer was strongly influenced by Haydn and Mozart; middle, including three quartets that honored Russian Count Razumovsky; and late, a reflection of the final years of his life. This is the beginning of a four-year endeavor, with Ariel Quartet performing the complete Beethoven cycle, in honor of the composer’s 250th birthday in 2020. Program: Ludwig van Beethoven: Quartet in F Major, op.18, no. 1; Quartet in G Major, op. 18, no. 2; Quartet in F Minor, op. 95; Quartet in F Major, op. 135