Ahead of the legendary composer’s 200th death anniversary, the NCPA brings special editions of the Artie’s Festival India featuring the entire cycle of Beethoven’s string quartets.
By Aditya Shiledar
As the world speeds towards 2027, it approaches an important junction: the 200th death anniversary of Ludwig van Beethoven, a name that needs no introduction. The Symphony Orchestra of India marked this milestone with the launch of its Beethoven Symphony Cycle in February this year. The great composer’s oeuvre, though, is a gift that keeps on giving. This May, the beloved Artie’s Festival returns to the NCPA for its 30th edition. And its repertoire for the next four editions? The entire cycle of Beethoven’s string quartets.
Admittedly, such a marathon is not an easy task to undertake. But then, it has always been in the offing, says Gauthier Herrmann, renowned cellist who conceptualised Artie’s with Mr. Khushroo N. Suntook, Chairman, NCPA and co-founder of the Symphony Orchestra of India. “It has been my dream to interpret the complete string quartet cycle of Beethoven. And to be able to do it in India, here at the NCPA, is very special to me,” Herrmann adds. His connection with the NCPA dates back to nearly two decades, when plans for an organised chamber music festival first began to circulate; by 2008, they had materialised into the first ever Artie’s Festival. Over the years, the cohort of musicians has only grown, sometimes featuring stars in the classical firmament as well as promising young voices that would go on to make it big. This time, Herrmann will be accompanied by violinists Nathan Mierdl and Emma Gibout, and violist Violaine Despeyroux. The festival, which is titled ‘Mostly Beethoven’, will be spread across a period of four months, spanning both 2026 and 2027. Starting in May, it will have a second iteration in December and then return once again next June and November.
While each concert will feature Beethoven’s string quartets, the repertoire will not be limited to the German composer. For instance, this May, the Artie’s will be joined by rising young clarinettist Joë Christophe for a performance of Mozart’s Clarinet Quintet. The upcoming months may see other musicians following suit.
A many-stringed extravaganza
But why the string quartet? In a career that lasted nearly five decades, Beethoven kept returning to the string quartet format. Something about its flexibility held a continual appeal for him. There is the Beethoven of the symphonies, titanic and overwhelming; there is the Beethoven of the piano sonatas, playful yet dynamic; somehow, though, when it comes to the string quartets, with every piece that he produced, Beethoven pushed the envelope a little further. There are 16 string quartets in all, and the sheer variety of these pieces says something about Beethoven’s sense of ease with the form. In retrospect, they fit neatly into the three periods into which Beethoven’s career is often divided: the early, middle and late.
The early period encompasses the first six string quartets, composed between 1798 and 1800, and commissioned by the Bohemian aristocrat, Prince Joseph Franz Maximillian Lobkowitz. Eight years later came the three string quartets now known as the Razumovsky quartets (named after the Russian Ambassador who commissioned them), which would inaugurate his middle period. Two other works—colloquially referred to as the ‘Harp’ and the ‘Serioso’—would turn up in 1810. After that, more than a decade would elapse before another string quartet would flow from Beethoven’s pen. In that interval would come the monumental Symphony Nos. 7 and 9 as well as the famous Piano Sonata No. 29 (nicknamed the ‘Hammerklavier’). Finally, in 1825, under the patronage of the Russian Prince Nicolas Galitzin, the String Quartet No. 12 would emerge, and kick off the series of Beethoven’s late, great string quartets. They were unlike anything the world had ever heard.
“They were way ahead of their time,” notes Jehangir Batiwala, consultant to the NCPA on Western classical music, “and they continue to be ahead of our time as well.” No less an authority than Igor Stravinsky would go on to call the Grosse Fugue (a massive, unwieldy fugue composed for, then edited out of, String Quartet No. 13) “an absolutely contemporary piece of music that will remain contemporary forever.” Verdicts on the late quartets range from the bewildered to the epiphanic; the sheer variety of emotions they can elicit resonates everywhere. In a light-hearted moment, Herrmann shares that String Quartet No. 15, the last but one of the composer’s quartets, has always been his favourite.
And that is what drives ‘Mostly Beethoven’ forward; rather than performing the string quartets chronologically, each concert will feature a mix of all the periods so as to give the listener an expansive taste of Beethoven’s oeuvre.
Chamber music all the way
In its scope and ambition, ‘Mostly Beethoven’ is among the widest-ranging celebrations of the composer at the NCPA. It is also a particular triumph for chamber music, which enjoys a small but growing listenership in India, as compared to the more popular symphonic form. Batiwala, noting the gravitas of the task, says, “It takes a lifetime to prepare for a Beethoven string quartet. It’s a private and rigorous task, and easily one of the toughest jobs in the world.” This is hardly an exaggeration. Even back in Beethoven’s day, professional string quartets struggled to comply with his demands. There is a famous story of how the Schuppanzigh Quartet once botched up the String Quartet No. 12 at the premiere, and how, in consequence, Beethoven hired another quartet for the performance, but yet again, to little avail.
Yet chamber music—and string quartets in particular—can also be a good introduction to Western classical music. Unlike the symphony orchestra, it does not baffle the viewer with its sublime chaos; and, unlike the piano sonata, it is not a one-man virtuoso performance either. Instead, it packs a singular effect in a public setting. The seeing, says Herrmann, is as important as the listening. “When you watch a string quartet live, it is a hundred times different than hearing it on radio or TV. You can see the artiste, the instrument, and you can feel the vibrations.” In fact, this also makes it particularly amenable to young audiences. Over the years, the Artie’s ensemble has travelled across India—to schools, orphanages, even the slums in Dharavi—bringing the delights of Western classical music to a diverse range of people. ‘Mostly Beethoven’, then, is as much for the amateurs as the connoisseurs.
Over the phone, Herrmann sounds jubilant. He remarks, with a laugh: “I don’t know what I’ll do after this. What will be exciting enough? Will there be anything that comes close to this?”
The excitement is real.
This article was originally published in the May 2026 issue of ON Stage.
