Christopher's Classics: New Zealand String Quartet

“The Late Quartets” programme

Beethoven – String Quartet No. 13 in B♭ major, Op. 130 with Große Fuge
Beethoven – String Quartet No. 14 in C# minor, Op. 131

With its dynamic performing style, eloquent communication and beautiful sound the New Zealand String Quartet has forged a major career in the busy international chamber music field, earning the acclaim of critics and the delighted response of audiences. The cornerstone of our Classics series year after year, the Quartet is celebrating its silver jubilee in 2012 by choosing to play the complete cycle of quartets by Beethoven; 25 years together has brought them a depth of musical maturity that make these wonderful works shine.

Beethoven’s Late String Quartets (Nos. 12-16) were his last major works, and are considered some of the greatest music ever written. Quartet No. 13 in B♭ major (1825) is truly immense in scale. It is comprised of six movements, with two dance movements and two slow movements, including the sublimely beautiful Cavatina, culminating in the Große Fuge, a massive double fugue with an unprecedented level of technical complexity and unrelenting introspection. The Quartet No. 14 in C# minor (1826) contains seven movements performed without a break, and is a monumental masterpiece of musical integration, seamlessly transitioning through six distinct key areas and a wide range of moods before completing its arc.