National Season 2010

When Joseph Haydn offered his opus 33 quartets to patrons and publishers in 1781, he proudly announced that they were written in “a new and special way”. These works, the first designated by Haydn himself as ‘quartets’, suggested that the string quartet could be a medium of limitless possibility. Even Haydn, the ‘father of the string quartet’, could not have possibly imagined what his children would get up to over the following centuries. 

This year we celebrate the incredible diversity of the string quartet, beginning at the source with one of these iconic opus 33 quartets and branching out to Beethoven’s vigour and tenderness, the youthful passion of Mendelssohn and the subtle sensuousness of Samuel Barber. 

The most recent work of our season is very recent indeed and we are excited to present Australian composer Paul Stanhope’s brand new revision of his Quartet no.1. 

As always we are privileged to work with some amazing guest artists. We are joined by star of the world opera stage Teddy Tahu Rhodes for intimate works by Barber and Vaughan Williams and by Australian pianist and exquisite chamber musician Lucinda Collins for Brahms’ dark and dramatic Piano Quintet.

Sophie, Anne, Sally and Rachel