St Lawrence String Quartet & NZ String Quartet

Programme

Haydn: Quartet in F Opus 77 No 2

John Adams: New work composed for the quartet

Mendelssohn: Octet in E flat Opus 20



Mendelssohn’s Octet for Strings is an extraordinary work – partly because Mendelssohn was only 16 when he wrote it, but also because of its musical excellence. The richness of the melodies and the virtuosity of the string writing elevate this work to masterpiece status.

Mendelssohn wrote that the Octet “must be played by all the instruments in symphonic orchestra style”. The combined power and panache of the New Zealand and St Lawrence String Quartets is sure to deliver this joyous work in an uplifting season finale.

The first half of the programme features the St Lawrence String Quartet. The originality and classical fluency of Haydn anticipates a new work by one of the most recognized composers working in the world today, American John Adams.