New Zealand String Quartet National Tour in Auckland

This June and July we’re heading up and down the country bringing you two programmes of music that will transport you from the 18th to 21st centuries. We’ll be sharing wonderful works full of captivating melodies and rhythmic poise by Mozart, Haydn, Ravel, Dvořák, Janáček, Shostakovich, and Chinese composer Gao Ping. 

Opening Programme One will be Mozart’s String Quartet No. 1 in G Major, K80, an early work in which the 14-year-old composer’s mastery of melody and harmony shines. The programme also features two Czech composers. Leoš Janáček subtitled his own String Quartet No. 1 “Kreutzer Sonata” as a nod to Russian writer Leo Tolstoy’s thrilling and passionate tale of the same name – itself inspired by Beethoven’s famous Kreutzer Sonata. Anton Dvořák’s refined String Quartet No. 11 still fizzes with the energy of folk melodies.  What’s more, Mozart’s and Janáček’s quartets aren’t the only ‘firsts’ in this musical line-up. An eagerly-anticipated new work, written especially for the New Zealand String Quartet by distinguished composer Gao Ping, will premiere on this tour.

Our vivacious Programme Two opens with Haydn’s elegant String Quartet in G Major, Op. 33, No. 5. This work inspired Mozart and impressed royalty, and Haydn’s musical wit and boundless inventiveness is undeniable. The concert also features Russian composer Shostakovich’s String Quartet No. 12, a work that rewards listeners with its exceptional expressiveness. Shostakovich’s string quartets have been described as miniature symphonies and String Quartet No. 12 proves no exception, bursting with grand textures and contrasts. The lustrous colours of Ravel’s String Quartet in F Major add an unmistakable French flair to the programme. Ravel’s music fuses the atmospheric tones of Javanese Gamelan with the clarity of French Baroque masters - come and experience the dynamism of this music for yourself!

“A quartet to match the finest anywhere... it's hard to imagine that anyone hearing these four players would not be instantly captivated by their living, breathing musicianship." The Australian, Sydney