Violist Sandro Constantino and former principal cellist of Sydney Symphony Orchestra Umberto Clerici perform Beethoven’s Duet mit zwei obligaten Augengläsern.

Beethoven dedicated the work to his friend Nikolaus Zmeskall, a cellist with whom he performed the piece. The work adopted its nickname based on the fact that both Beethoven and Zmeskall required their spectacles in order to read the music. Zmeskall was a civil servant at the Hungarian Court Chancellery in Vienna who held chamber music read-through sessions every Sunday, which Beethoven attended. The two were lifelong friends, with Beethoven additionally dedicating his String Quartet no.11 in F minor op.95 Serioso to Zmeskall in 1816.

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Watch: Sydney Symphony cello masterclass † Beethoven Symphony no.5

Read: Heifetz Cadenzas: Beethoven Violin Concerto

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