Karelia Quartet

The Karelia Quartet explores music shaped by place, identity and tradition. Works by Peter Sculthorpe and Lotta Wennäkoski sit alongside masterpieces by Mozart and Grieg, creating a programme rich in atmosphere, lyricism and discovery.

For this programme, the Karelia Quartet were drawn to the way each work creates its own distinctive sense of place and voice.

In their words: ‘Peter Sculthorpe’s String Quartet No. 8 holds a special resonance for us, with two Australian members in the ensemble and a composer whose music evokes a profound connection to landscape and atmosphere. Stravinsky’s Three Pieces for String Quartet, a lesser-performed work within the quartet repertoire, offers a striking contrast, exploring an extraordinary range of colour, character and rhythmic energy within three concise and sharply defined movements. Framing these works are two masterpieces of the quartet repertoire: Mozart’s String Quartet in D Major K.575, with its elegance, warmth and subtle invention, and Grieg’s first String Quartet, a work of extraordinary passion, lyricism and dramatic sweep. The programme moves between familiar masterpieces and lesser-heard twentieth-century perspectives, with each work shedding new light on the others.’

This event will last for approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes, including the interval.