‘quartet playing of the rarest quality’ – the goldners return from London

“A group of the highest international class….Quartet playing of the rarest quality” is how music critic Andrew Clements of UK’s The Guardian described recent performances by The Goldner String Quartet in London, where they were featured in this year’s City of London Festival.   

Fresh from this tour, Musica Viva presents The Goldner String Quartet, joined by pianist Ian Munro in Sydney during August. They will perform the world premiere of Munro’s Piano Quintet,commissioned especially for Musica Viva in both performances. Beethoven’s String Quartet No.10 in E flat major, Op.74, (“Harp”) is paired with Dvorak’s Piano Quintet in A major Op.81 for the Monday evening performance, dedicated to Kenneth Tribe, whilst Szymanowski’s String Quartet No.1 in C major, Op.37  and Brahms Piano Quintet in F minor, Op.34 are featured in the matinee presentation the following Saturday.

 Performing twice during the festival, the Goldners teamed up with didgeridoo maestro William Barton for their first performance at Goldsmith’s Hall in which they presented to London audiences some of the best of Australian music.

 Premiering in this concert was a work by Barton himself, alongside Peter Sculthorpe’s Earth Cry, Nigel Westlake’s String Quartet No 2,and Matthew Hindson’s Didjeribluegrass.  

A few days later, The Goldners performed at the church of St Bartholomew-the-Great, in a concert that was broadcast live on BBC Radio 3, presenting the London premiere of Peter Sculthorpe’s String Quartet No 18 and Ross Edwards’ String Quartet No 2. 

To whet your appetite in anticipation of The Goldners’ Sydney concerts, you can hear a delayed broadcast of their first London concert on BBC Radio 3 on Saturday August 21st at 10.30 pm British Summer Time (7.30 am Sunday 22nd August Australian Eastern Standard Time).

It is also very worthwhile noting that The Goldner’s recent recording of Elgar’s String Quartetand String Quintet with pianist Piers Lane, (Hyperion CDA 67857) reached Gramophone’s Specialist Classical Chart last month.

Read the full concert review in The Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2011/jul/11/goldner-quartet-review

Tickets: From $30. Call 02 8256 2222, at www.cityrecitalhall.com or in person and 2 Angel Place, Sydney.