Works for solo piano and string quartet performed by pianist Paavali Jumppanen and the Belcea Quartet.Beethoven: Piano Sonata in C minor, Op. 13, “Pathétique”Bartók: String Quartet No. 1 in A minor, Op. 7Surely the feeling of the catharsis is one of the great gifts of art. The arc from darkness towards light provides an opportunity for the listener to savor a satisfying taste of peace, and perhaps a chance for the creator to work through his or her own demons as well. Bartok’s first String Quartet was likely the product of the composer’s own grieving process, after discovering that his love for the violinist Stefi Geyer was unrequited. Bartok is often quoted as describing the first movement as a “funeral dirge,” and though the entire work has a sort of abiding angst, the propulsive final movement certainly expresses a strong will to go on. First, though, we’ll hear one of the best-known solo piano pieces of the repertoire, Beethoven’s “Pathetique” sonata. A sense of melancholy pervades the piece—which accounts for the title—but the glimmering moments of resolution, particularly in the second and third movements, are so deliciously wonderful that they make it a sort of melancholy worth savoring.