The Aroha Quartet's 2012 programme continues with a return to the Mulled Wine Concerts in Paekakariki on Sunday 24 June. The concert begins with Haydn's beautiful "Sunrise" Quartet, followed by "The White Haired Girl", a stirring piece based on a classic tale from revolutionary China. The concert is rounded off by Debussy's marvellous Quartet, celebrating the 150th year since the composer's birth.
A programme of cello quintets, including the sublime Quintet in C by Franz Schubert, forms the second part of the Quartet's 2012 season. For this concert, to be performed in September and October in Hamilton, Greytown, Lower Hutt and Christchurch, the Quartet will be joined by the NZSO Section Principal Cello Andrew Joyce.
The Schubert is coupled with a new quintet by young Hungarian composer Peter Tornyai. This work was written for the Aroha Quartet while it was attending the International Summer Academy in Austria in late 2010. Tornyai's quintet begins with the final notes of the Schubert and contains several other references to the earlier work. It makes extensive use of scordatura, where the instruments are retuned to produce new sonorities and harmonies.
Haydn's "Sunrise" quartet is the other work in this programme.