Australian String Quartet – Aurora

A sound-world shimmering with brilliance.

With a reputation as the ‘father of the string quartet’, Joseph Haydn’s String Quartet in D, Op.76 No.5 opens this concert. Composed in 1797, it reflects the composer at the height of his powers in the genre. The second movement is of a particularly contemplative, otherworldly quality and a defining feature of this quartet in contrast to the upbeat nature of the surrounding three movements, including a thrillingly bright finale.

Finnish composer Olli Mustonen’s String Quartet No.1, completed in 2016, symbolises — as the composer himself says — a journey from darkness to light. It balances fervent rhythms and hymnal melodies with intertwining psychological and physical elements through the music’s textures and moods, which are said to evoke travel into fantasy worlds.

Finishing this concert is Edvard Grieg’s String Quartet No.1 in G minor, composed in 1877 — a Norwegian gem fusing Romantic melodies and folk influences. Its four movements are marked by emotional depth and nationalistic flair, and a captivating originality that makes it a celebrated work in Grieg’s output.