Bold Voices: Alberga & Beethoven

mousai REMIX returns with a bold and imaginative chamber program: string quartets by Eleanor Alberga and Beethoven. Known for inventive programming and dynamic performance, this ensemble continues to champion collaboration, curiosity, and musical discovery. Eleanor Alberga’s String Quartet No. 2 takes listeners on a fast-moving and captivating musical journey. From a single idea heard at the very beginning, the music continually transforms itself, unfolding with energy, momentum, and unexpected turns. Rich in color, imagination, and expressive contrast, the quartet invites audiences into a world where familiar ideas reappear in surprising ways, creating an experience that feels both tightly connected and constantly evolving. Beethoven’s final string quartet takes listeners on a journey that is by turns playful, surprising, reflective, and triumphant. Full of rhythmic games, unexpected twists, and lively exchanges between the four musicians, the work delights in keeping audiences guessing before opening into moments of remarkable beauty and introspection. Centered around the famous question “Must it be?” and the emphatic response “It must be!”, this beloved masterpiece transforms uncertainty into confidence, ending with a spirit of joy, resilience, and celebration. WORKS Eleanor Alberga: String Quartet No. 2Beethoven: String Quartet No. 16 in F major, Op. 135 PERFORMERS Emily Cole, violinShin-young Kwon, violinJennifer Arnold, violaMarilyn de Oliveira, cello