Beethoven! The Age of Enlightenment

Beethoven! The Age of Enlightenment - NZSQ

MUSIC: NEW ZEALAND

“Thrilling to hear… an uncommonly fine performance.” The Washington Post

The New Zealand String Quartet begins its 25th anniversary celebrations with two exclusive Festival performances in the stunning setting of St Mary of the Angels church.

Beethoven! The Age of Enlightenment offers the opportunity to experience Beethoven through his string quartets, in which he expressed some of his deepest and most profound musical ideas.

In 2012 the New Zealand String Quartet will be touring the country, presenting Beethoven’s 16 string quartets in six concerts. Part one of this cycle, The Age of Enlightenment, consists of two concerts of six string quartets written early in Beethoven’s life as Opus 18, when he was just 30 and rising to fame.

The title refers to the graceful, classical elegance of the Enlightenment in this music, which shows the influence of Haydn and Mozart. Beethoven’s string quartets express the passion, drama, intricacy and beauty of the music of one of the world’s greatest composers.

Concert 1 String Quartets, Opus 18 Nos. 3, 2, 1

Concert 2 String Quartets, Opus 18 Nos. 4, 5, 6

Beethoven! The Age of Enlightenment is at St Mary of the Angels on 25 & 26 February as part of the 2012 New Zealand International Arts Festival, Wellington, 24 February – 18 March. Tickets $48 available from TICKETEK.

ENDS

Elizabeth Kerr, New Zealand String Quartet on +64 (4) 499 8883 or +64 (0)21 221 022

Beethoven! is a partnership project between the New Zealand String Quartet and Chamber Music New Zealand.