..."a performance of the utmost refinement and sensitivity in which each player suppressed his own individuality to find a common voice."... (Lindis Taylor, "Middle C")
An introduction to the string quartet through the ages, from Baroque to the present day. Our programme includes excerpts from works by Vitali, Mozart, Beethoven, Ligeti, Tan Dun & Gareth Farr. It finishes with a complete performance of Beethoven String Quartet No 13 in B-flat major Op 130
Our programme starts with Mozart's String Quartet No 17 in B-flat K458. Nicknamed 'The Hunt, this is a high-spirited, joyful work, both rustic and sophisticated. It continues with String Quartet No 1 'Métamorphoses nocturnes' by Hungarian composer György Ligeti. Described by one writer as “Bartok's seventh string quartet”, this colourful work is written in seventeen wonderfully contrasting sections played as one continuous movement. The concert finishes with Beethoven's profound String Quartet No 13 in B-flat major Op 130, a piece that explores the limits of what can be expressed in music. This concert takes place in the Nellie Bud Room.
