Hsin-Yun Huang

Listen – 1st MovementListen – 2nd Movement

Mozart’s D Major Quintet, K593, opens with what might be a dialogue between Virtues, a back and forth exchange between Truth and Beauty. The cello alone sets forth the position of Truth, firm and regal, yet austere, and in response the upper four instruments offer a more sensual, elegant, and beguiling response on behalf of Beauty. The conversation continues throughout the Larghetto introduction, and the cello gradually gives up some of its certainty, eventually joining the upper parts. The introduction comes to a halt in an almost teasing manner and as the Allegro begins the music becomes Haydnesque in its wit and flourish. And in fact it is easy to imagine here that Mozart is both paying tribute to and aiming to delight the older composer whom he both revered and loved and who, it turns out, is known to have played viola in a reading of the piece. The theme here is derived from the initial response of the violin in the introduction, as if to suggest that Wit and Humor are closely allied with and contained within Beauty…

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It is my belief that while we musicians have the privilege to explore art forms of profound beauty, we also have a responsibility to the world’s ongoing creative process. Ever since the first time I heard Haydn’s “Sunrise” Quartet, I dreamed of a life in chamber music. In my mind, the viola in a chamber ensemble represents the most human figure: a voice that does not intend to be flashy or self-centered, but is rather the diplomatic glue that holds everyone together. It shines subtly and its unique timbre is unforgettable. Being a violist in a chamber music context is almost a philosophical way of life and a state of mind.