SUMMER ’26
Faure: Violin Sonata in A-major
Mozart: Piano Quartet in G-minor

Brunilda Myftaraj, violin
Ina June, piano
Jonathan Kane, viola
Camden Archambeau, Cello

Mozart’s Piano Quartet in G minor stands at the birth of an entirely new chamber‑music genre. Written in 1785, it was the first substantial work to combine piano, violin, viola, and cello—a combination that would later inspire Schumann, Brahms, Dvořák, and Fauré. Yet its creation was anything but smooth: the quartet emerged from a commission that nearly collapsed, a publisher who panicked, and a composer unwilling to compromise.Publisher Franz Anton Hoffmeister had asked Mozart for three piano quartets, expecting light, marketable music for Vienna’s amateur musicians. Instead, Mozart delivered a work of dramatic weight, technical difficulty, and operatic intensity. Hoffmeister feared it would not sell and released Mozart from the remainder of the contract. The G‑minor Quartet thus arrived not as a polite salon piece, but as a statement of artistic independence. Despite its rocky start, the G‑minor Quartet became the first great piano quartet in history. Its blend of symphonic ambition, chamber intimacy, and pianistic brilliance set a model that later composers would expand into some of the 19th century’s finest chamber works.

Composed in 1876, Fauré’s Violin Sonata in A major marked his arrival as a mature voice in French chamber music. The work blends lyricism and clarity with subtle harmonic daring, foreshadowing the elegance of French impressionism. The first movement’s radiant energy gives way to a tender Andante, where melody unfolds with quiet intimacy. A playful Scherzo sparkles with rhythmic wit, and the Finale restores warmth and brilliance. Fauré’s refined craftsmanship and emotional restraint create music that feels both spontaneous and timeless, a perfect balance of passion and poise.