Australian String Quartet: Aurora

Haydn’s Op.76 No.5 quartet shows the composer at the height of his craft.   The miraculous slow movement in the radiant key of F-sharp major is one of the most sublime movements Haydn ever wrote. In distinct contrast with the effervescent music around it, it is almost as if time stands still in the heart of this work.

 

In his own words, Finnish composer Olli Mustonen describes his first string quartet as “a journey from darkness to light.” Composed in 2016, it balances fervent rhythms and hymnal melodies with intertwining psychological and physical elements, which are said to evoke travel into fantasy worlds.

 

Grieg’s first string quartet is a rousing tour de force of romantic melodies infused with Norwegian nationalistic flair. Its four movements are marked by a raw emotional power that has earned this work its place as one of Scandinavia’s most celebrated string quartets.