No.2 Homeward – Presented by ASQ

Britten String Quartet no 1 in D major op 25
Paul Stanhope String Quartet no 2
Dvořák String Quartet no 13 in G major op 106

A spirit of youthful exuberance and boundless confidence energises this concert. Rejuvenated by his time in America, Dvořák’s return to his native Bohemia was a joyful homecoming, inspiring a flood of musical ideas in his G major String Quartet.

Arriving in America in his late twenties, Benjamin Britten enjoyed a sense of supreme confidence as a composer.  In his String Quartet no 1, he sets out to impress in a work that abounds in joie de vivre and originality.

In his second string quartet, Australian composer, Paul Stanhope, evokes the emotionally charged experience of the Jewish migrants who made Australia their home during World War II.

The three works together compose a rich tapestry drawn from themes of exile and return, and inspirations from the old world and the new.