Close-up: Andante cantabile

When a work is marked ‘Andante cantabile’ (calm and song-like), you can expect music of a special melodious simplicity. The most famous Andante cantabile is the second movement from Tchaikovsky’s First String Quartet. The composer was justifiably proud that the work had moved the great writer Leo Tolstoy to tears. Other beloved Andante cantabiles include the ‘Serenade’ String Quartet often attributed to Haydn, the duet for low strings with which the opera composer Rossini surprised audiences, a short florid work by the Czech composer Foerster and finally Beethoven’s far too rarely performed String Quintet in C minor.
Musicians of the Concertgebouw Orchestra perform their own programmes in the Recital Hall as part of the Close-up chamber music series. Each of these concerts is unique and performed only once as part of the series. It’s the very best way to experience the individual qualities of the orchestral musicians! These intimate concerts are organised by the Friends of the Concertgebouw and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.