Takács Quartet returns to New Zealand

Greatest String Quartet in the World to Play Five NZ Concerts.

"Their exquisitely blended tone is amber-rich, like a cognac cask-ripened to maturity. But buoyant rhythms, seamless ensemble and the sheer immediacy of their playing all contribute to put them in a class of their own." – London Evening Standard.

Hailed by The Guardian as “the greatest string quartet in the world”, Grammy Award winning ensemble Takács Quartet returns to New Zealand to play five concerts for Chamber Music New Zealand.

The whirlwind tour opens in Hamilton on Thursday 5 July, before concerts in Auckland, Wellington, Napier and Christchurch.

Renowned for playing with a unique blend of drama, warmth and humour, the Takács Quartet combines four distinct musical personalities to bring fresh insights to the string quartet repertoire.

Formed in 1975 in Hungary, the multi-award winning Takács Quartet features original members, violinist Károly Schranz and cellist András Fejér, together with long-time member Edward Dusinberre (violin) and Geraldine Walther (viola). The Takács Quartet is based in the United States as quartet-in-residence at the University of Colorado and performs 90 concerts worldwide every year. The varied programmes for the tour feature a breath-taking musical ride with music from Schubert, Ysaÿe, Brahms, Paganini and Bartók.

Known for their innovative programming, the New Zealand concerts will draw from the ensemble's eastern European roots, with works by Janáček and Bartók performed in all centres.

Janáček’s quartets are intense, gripping and deeply emotive, and both pieces on the programmes - The Kreutzer Sonata and Intimate Letters are well-known. Two of Bartók’s six String Quartets also feature and in Hamilton, Napier and Wellington, audiences will be treated to Debussy’s Quartet in G minor, while in Auckland and Christchurch the ensemble performs Ravel’s Quartet in F.

“This was an account of rare insight and passion, red-blooded but never reckless…” - The New York Times

The Takács Quartet performs in Hamilton, Auckland, Wellington, Napier and Christchurch from July 5-10. For more information and to book tickets, visit www.chambermusic.co.nz.

Chamber Music New Zealand acknowledges major funding from Creative New Zealand.