Uploaded February 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
In honor of the 150th anniversary of Arnold Schoenberg’s birth, we surveyed many of his works for string quartet held in manuscript at the Library of Congress. The eloquent and indefatigable Quatuor Diotima offered two striking programs over the course of two days, putting on display the passion, wit and craft of this oft-misunderstood artist. The quartet’s second program included the exciting third quartet by Erich Korngold, whose collection is held at the Library. We also heard two more Schoenberg quartets: the third quartet from 1927, which was also commissioned by Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge, and the first string quartet, composed over twenty years earlier—a monumental endeavor cast in a single movement. This video features excerpts from the program—the two Schoenberg quartets. Quatuor Diotima performed on the Library’s Stradivari instruments:
Yunpeng Zhao: Violin by Antonio Stradivari, Cremona, 1704, “Betts”
Léo Marillier: Violin by Antonio Stradivari, Cremona, 1700, “Ward”
Franck Chevalier: Viola by Antonio Stradivari, Cremona, 1727, “Cassavetti”
Alexis Descharmes: Violoncello by Antonio Stradivari, Cremona, 1699, “Castelbarco”
Program:
[0:44] Arnold Schoenberg
String Quartet no. 3, op. 30
[31:55] Arnold Schoenberg
String Quartet no. 1, op. 7
Participants:
Quatuor Diotima
Yunpeng Zhao & Léo Marillier, violin
Franck Chevalier, viola
Alexis Descharmes, cello
For more information, visit loc.gov/item/video-11557
In honor of the 150th anniversary of Arnold Schoenberg’s birth, we surveyed many of his works for string quartet held in manuscript at the Library of Congress. The eloquent and indefatigable Quatuor Diotima offered two striking programs over the course of two days, putting on display the passion, wit and craft of this oft-misunderstood artist. The quartet’s second program included the exciting third quartet by Erich Korngold, whose collection is held at the Library. We also heard two more Schoenberg quartets: the third quartet from 1927, which was also commissioned by Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge, and the first string quartet, composed over twenty years earlier—a monumental endeavor cast in a single movement. This video features excerpts from the program—the two Schoenberg quartets. Quatuor Diotima performed on the Library’s Stradivari instruments:
Yunpeng Zhao: Violin by Antonio Stradivari, Cremona, 1704, “Betts”
Léo Marillier: Violin by Antonio Stradivari, Cremona, 1700, “Ward”
Franck Chevalier: Viola by Antonio Stradivari, Cremona, 1727, “Cassavetti”
Alexis Descharmes: Violoncello by Antonio Stradivari, Cremona, 1699, “Castelbarco”
Program:
[0:44] Arnold Schoenberg
String Quartet no. 3, op. 30
[31:55] Arnold Schoenberg
String Quartet no. 1, op. 7
Participants:
Quatuor Diotima
Yunpeng Zhao & Léo Marillier, violin
Franck Chevalier, viola
Alexis Descharmes, cello
For more information, visit loc.gov/item/video-11557
