Bohemian Dreaming: Point Quartet

In Bohemian Dreaming Point Quartet pays tribute to great Australian composer Peter Sculthorpe alongside works by Dvořák, Suk, Puccini and Shostakovich.

Composers have expressed some of their strongest emotions through the string quartet. “Jabiru dreaming” by Sculthorpe (1929–2014) is an exuberant work inspired by the birds and rock formations of Kakadu. The accompanying artwork for the program is by Brisbane artist Kristy-Ann Duffy, inspired by the time she spent living in the Kakadu National Park.

Two Czech composers are featured. Suk’s “Meditation on the Saint Wenceslas Chorale” was written and first performed in 1914 in the anxious days following the outbreak of World War I. It is based on a solemn medieval tune invoking the protection of the patron saint of Bohemia. Dvořák’s “American” quartet is bittersweet, combining Czech traditions and homesick longings with the exciting soundscape of the American Midwest.

In contrast, Puccini’s “Crisantemi” is an elegy, named for the traditional Italian flower of mourning and Shostakovich’s “Quartet No. 8″ is sombrely dedicated to the victims of fascism and WWII.

Program:
Peter Sculthorpe (1929–2014) String Quartet no. 11 “Jabiru dreaming”.
Josef Suk (1874–1935) “Meditation on the Saint Wenceslas Chorale”, Op. 35a 1914.
Dmitri Shostakovich (1906–1975) “String Quartet No. 8 in C minor” (Op. 110) 1960.
Giacomo Puccini (1858–1924) “Crisantemi” 1890.
Antonin Dvořák “String Quartet No. 12 in F Major” Op. 96 ‘American’ 1893.

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