Quartz – Sweet Disposition

Beauty and elegance meets skill and maturity.

Acclaimed Melbourne string quartet Quartz are a confluence of Australian musical talent and world-class technique. Their exciting yet sensitive interpretations of great masterpieces of the string quartet repertoire are a delight to hear and much loved by audiences.

About the concert

Their performance in Primrose Potter Salon presents notable works for the string quartet by Mozart and Mendelssohn. Finding himself in dire financial straits, Mozart set out to write six quartets for the Prussian King, Friedrich Wilhelm II. The quartets paid poorly, forcing Mozart to give them away ‘for a mere song’. The first of these quartets is a perfectly proportioned work of beauty and elegance, featuring the four instrumentalists as soloists exchanging an intimate dialogue that is clear and melodious.

Born into a wealthy Berlin family, Mendelssohn’s parents encouraged him to spend several years abroad when he turned twenty. These were busy years for him; his performing and conducting careers blossomed. His first string quartet is among the notable works that he produced during this time, skillfully crafted with maturity well beyond his years.