Australian String Quartet

Pushing the boundaries of the genre, Beethoven and Korngold take the string quartet to new frontiers with these ground-breaking works.

When premiered in 1825, Beethoven's Op. 127 quartet stunned listeners with its innovation of expression and form. This work heralded a dramatic shift in Beethoven's trajectory, having already taken the string quartet to unprecedented heights. The first of his late quartets, here we glimpse a far more personal, philosophical, and inward-looking approach to musical rhetoric.

Korngold's success as a Hollywood film composer cemented his place in history. As a serious composer of post-Romantic music, he produced some extraordinary works that have long been overlooked. His second string quartet is no exception – its highly romantic harmonies are sprinkled with surprises that imbue it with a fresh and highly original sound.

Australian composer Harry Sdraulig is making waves across the country with a string of compelling new works. We are thrilled to be giving the premiere performances of his second string quartet, a fitting companion for the dynamic powerhouses of this program. 

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827)
String Quartet in E flat, Op. 127

I. Maestoso
II. Adagio, ma non troppo e molto cantabile – Andante con moto – Adagio molto espressivo – Tempo I
III. Scherzando vivace
IV. Allegro

Harry Sdraulig (b. 1992)
String Quartet No. 2 (National Premiere performances) *

Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1897–1957)
String Quartet No. 2 in E flat, Op. 26

I. Allegro
II. Intermezzo. Allegretto con moto – Molto piu mosso
III. Larghetto. Lento – Con molto sentimento
IV. Waltz. Tempo di Valse


* Commissioned by John Griffiths for his wife Beth