"So The Last Shall Be The First..."

In October 2010, Camera Lucida performed the very last string quartet of Beethoven, the Quartet in F major, Opus 135. Not only the last of his string quartets, Opus 135 is in fact Beethoven's last full composition, completed in October 1826, months before his death. With that performance, Camera Lucida initiated an extended survey of all sixteen quartets of Beethoven – not in one weekend, or in one season, but over years. In certain years we presented only one quartet; in some, more than one. These complex, intensely demanding works were situated in the familiar habitat of music by Haydn, Schubert, Dvorak, Brahms, surrounded by the avatars of that intoxicating and abundant world, 19th century European chamber music. Perversely, we programmed the Beethoven cycle in backwards order from the last to the first, working in reverse historical time, but forwards in lived time. We hoped to trace the mysteries of this music back to its beginnings, from the enigmas of the late quartets, to the almost embarrassing opulence and exhibitionism of the middle quartets, back to the initial salvo of six quartets published as Opus 18 in 1801. The penultimate installment of our cycle was the Quartet in c minor, Opus 18 No. 4, on February 10, 2020. And then the world pandemic stopped us in our tracks.

Camera Lucida returns on Monday, November 7 to the Conrad Prebys Concert Hall to complete our task. As the last chapter in this quixotic endeavor, 12 years after its inception, we will present the very first of Beethoven's quartets, the String Quartet in (again!) F major, Opus 18 No. 1.

Our program includes the Piano Trio in E-flat major of Haydn, as well as Dvorak's Piano Quintet in A major. We rejoice in welcoming you back to our concert hall, and to the sounds, vibrations, and shimmering resonances of the illuminated chamber, Camera Lucida.

Camera Lucida

Reiko Uchida, piano

Jeff Thayer and Wes Precourt, violins

Che-Yen Chen, viola

Charles Curtis, cello

Haydn: Piano Trio in E-flat major, Hob XV:30

Beethoven: String Quartet in F major, Opus 18 Nr. 1

Dvorak: Quintet for Piano and Strings in A major, Opus 81

Ticket Information: music.ucsd.edu/tickets

Non-Campus Affiliate: $37.00 | Campus Affiliate: $25.00

Tickets are free at the door for UC San Diego students with ID. First come first serve and subject to availability.