The Elgin String Quartet was formed by members of the BBC Symphony Orchestra. Chamber music in all its different ensemble variations has always been a corner stone of the four musicians‘ activities. They relish the musical and technical challenges that the genre of the string quartet demands in particular, as well as its communicative possibilities and the huge variety of the repertoire available. Their special interest focuses on works of contemporary and lesser-known composers.
Passionate about education and outreach work, The Elgin String Quartet have reached young audiences from the UK to Dubai and Myanmar through mentoring students and leading workshops.
For this lunchtime recital, the quartet brings together two masterworks of the string quartet repertoire
Franz Joseph Haydn String Quartet in D major, Op. 71 No. 2
Written for Haydn’s triumphant visits to London in the 1790s, the Op. 71 quartets mark a new boldness and public confidence in his writing. The D major quartet opens with a striking unison gesture — a moment of theatrical flair designed to silence a noisy concert room before unfolding into music of warmth, wit, and effortless invention. Haydn at his most irresistible.
Benjamin Britten String Quartet No. 2 in C major
Composed in 1945 to mark the 250th anniversary of Purcell’s death, Britten’s Second Quartet is one of the towering achievements of twentieth-century chamber music. Its vast concluding Chacony — a homage to Purcell’s own passacaglia writing, builds from quiet intimacy to overwhelming intensity. A work of searching beauty and emotional depth, it is the perfect companion to Haydn’s classical grace.