By Coral Gables Gazette staff
The elegant galleries of the Coral Gables Museum will become the intimate setting for a chamber-music encounter of rare ambition. At 2 p.m. on Sunday, October 26, the South Beach Chamber Ensemble presents a program featuring two of the string-quartet repertory’s foremost works: String Quartet No. 13 in A minor (Rosamunde) by Franz Schubert and String Quartet No. 12 in F major (American) by Antonín Dvořák. Together they chart a journey from the late-Romantic depths of Schubert to the folk-inspired verve of Dvořák’s American-era output.
Chamber-music treasures in a “Beautiful Space”
The venue itself adds resonance to the performance: the museum’s 20th Century architecture—arched windows, limestone detailing and gallery acoustics—offers a fitting home for chamber music’s architectural precision and emotional width. Doors open at 1 p.m., inviting early arrival and time to settle before the 90-minute program begins.
For the first half, the Ensemble performs Schubert’s “Rosamunde” quartet, D 804 (1824). Composed in the composer’s final years, the work marries lyrical song-like themes and chamber-symphonic ambition, its nickname deriving from material originally composed for Schubert’s incidental music to Rosamunde. Its opaque melancholy and shimmering textures make it a nuanced reading for a Sunday matinee.
Following intermission, the program shifts to Dvořák’s String Quartet No. 12 in F major, Op. 96, known as the “American.” Written in 1893 during Dvořák’s time in the United States, the work is celebrated for its folk-inspired motifs, open pentatonic textures and blending of the classical quartet tradition with new national-character impulses. Its bright energy makes for a compelling contrast to Schubert’s introspective opening.
Chamber music’s enduring potential
In an era when big symphonies dominate media coverage, the South Beach Chamber Ensemble’s program offers a subtle yet powerful reminder of chamber music’s enduring potential for intimacy and depth. The choice of repertoire signals a dual intention: to probe Schubert’s twilight mastery and to celebrate Dvořák’s optimistic American chapter. The event also underscores the city’s evolving role as a cultural precinct—one where world-class chamber music arrives in unexpected settings.
The series title—“Music in Beautiful Spaces”—invites listeners to engage more than music: sound, architecture and community converge. According to the Ensemble’s own profile, the aim is to “explore the world of chamber music and create community at the same time.” This performance, situated in the museum’s medial galleries and framed by South Florida light, is an ideal embodiment.
Practical details
Date & Time: Sunday, October 26 at 2 p.m. (doors at 1 p.m.)
Location: Coral Gables Museum, 285 Aragon Avenue, Coral Gables, FL 33134
Program:
- Schubert: String Quartet No. 13 in A minor (Rosamunde) (1824)
- Dvořák: String Quartet No. 12 in F major (American) (1893) Greater Miami & Miami Beach+1
Admission / Parking: Free parking available on-site; refer to museum website for ticketing. Coral Gables Museum
Audience: All ages welcome, about 1 hour 30 minutes in duration.
What to listen for…
- In Schubert, pay attention to the way a graceful theme from his Rosamunde incidental music transforms across the movements, yielding a mixture of yearning and elegance.
- In Dvořák, attentive listeners might hear echoes of American folk rhythms and open-air landscapes, albeit refracted through a composer steeped in Czech nationalism and classical form.
The contrast between Schubert’s inward lyricism and Dvořák’s outward exuberance frames the evening as much more than consecutive pieces—it becomes a micro-textbook of quartet expression.
Final thought
For those seeking more than background music, Sunday’s performance positions chamber music in the rich context of place, time and craft. In the museum’s refined interior, the South Beach Chamber Ensemble invites us into the heart of quartet writing—two masters in conversation across decades and continents. Whether you approach with devotion or curiosity, the evening promises both aesthetic reward and cultural resonance.
