Milna

Program

Joseph Miroslav Weber (1854–1906)
String Quintet in D major (1898)
I. Wie die Herren Professorencomponirthabenwollten
II. JugendlicherÜbermuth
III. Sehnsucht nachdemVaterlande
IV. Auf dem Lande

Luigi Rodolfo Boccherini (1743–1805)
Quintetto No. 3 in F Major, G. 279
I. Prestissimo
II. Largo
III.Tempo di Menuetto Appassionato
IV.Presto

Hannah Kandinsky, violin
Pia Onuska, violin
Ignazio Alayza, viola
Benedikt Hellsberg, cello
Ana Šincek, cello

Luigi Rodolfo Boccherini (1743–1805)
Luigi Boccherini was a distinguished Italian composer and virtuoso cellist whose
work played a pivotal role in shaping the string quartet and chamber music traditions
of the Classical era. Born in Lucca in 1743, he was the third child of Leopoldo
Boccherini, a double bass player.
In 1756, Boccherini was sent to Rome to study with the renowned cellist Giovanni
Battista Costanzi, musical director at Saint Peter’s Basilica. There, he encountered
the polyphonic traditions of Palestrina and the instrumental elegance of Corelli. At
just 17, he made his compositional debut in Vienna with his Six Trios for Two Violins
and Cello, G 77–82.

His time in Lombardy in 1765, performing in the orchestra of Giovanni Battista
Sammartini, marked a turning point in his style. Boccherini helped pioneer a more
conversational approach to quartet writing, elevating the cello from a supporting role
to an equal voice alongside the violin and viola. He organized a remarcable public
quartet performance with fellow Tuscan virtuosi Pietro Nardini, Filippo Manfredi, and
Giuseppe Cambini.
In 1769, Boccherini moved to Madrid at the invitation of the Spanish ambassador,
beginning a long and fruitful association with the court of Charles III. There, he
composed his celebrated Six String Quartets, G 177–182 and began writing the
string quintets for which he is best known. He also enjoyed the patronage of
Frederick William II of Prussia, himself an amateur cellist.
Boccherini’s legacy includes over 500 compositions—ranging from sacred music and
symphonies to concertos and chamber works—cementing his place as one of the
most prolific and influential composers of his time.

Joseph Miroslav Weber (1854–1906)
Born in Prague in 1854, Joseph Miroslav Weber was a child prodigy who began
violin studies with his father, a conductor, at the age of six. By eight, he had already
performed for Emperor Ferdinand of Austria. He studied violin and organ at the
Prague Conservatory from 1870 to 1873, laying the foundation for a distinguished
musical career.
Weber began as a solo violinist at the court chapel in Sondershausen, where he
developed a deep affinity for chamber music. In 1874, he conducted the summer
opera season in Prague, and by 1883, he was appointed Kapellmeister in
Wiesbaden. In 1901, he became the first Konzertmeister of the Munich court
orchestra, a position he held until his death in 1906.
A violinist of exceptional virtuosity and a skilled pianist, Weber was also a respected
composer. His Second String Quartet won a prize in St. Petersburg in 1891, and his
Septet “Aus meinem Leben” earned second prize from the Vienna Tonkünstler-
Verein in 1896, with Johannes Brahms among the jurors. His String Quintet in D
major (1898), was awarded a major prize in Prague shortly after publication.
In his later years, Weber engaged with progressive musical circles and maintained a
dialogue with contemporaries such as Arnold Schoenberg.