The Elgin String 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.
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