Aurora | The Theatre Royal presents the Australian String Quartet

Aurora sees the acclaimed Australian String Quartet build a shimmering sound-world from three distinct compositions. Listeners will be transported to the late 18th Century, shoot forward through time to find resonances in fantastical contemporary arrangements before returning back through an aural wormhole to 19th Century romanticism.

The evening opens with Joseph Haydn’s String Quartet in D Major, Op.76 No.5. Considered the father of the string quartet, the 1797 composition reflects the height of Haydn’s powers. An upbeat first movement gives way to contemplative and otherworldly passages in the second; before the piece comes to a close with a thrillingly bright finale.

Next comes a journey from darkness to light with Finnish composer Olli Mustonen’s ‘String Quartet No.1’. Completed in 2016, the work’s first movement is filled with foreboding, tonally dangerous and disconcerting modes. But soon, intertwining psychological states take the audience on a journey evoking travel into fantasy worlds.

Closing the concert is Edvard Grieg’s ‘String Quartet No. 1 in G Minor’ – an 1877 Norwegian gem fusing Romantic melodies and folk influences. Its four movements are marked by emotional depth, polyphonic passages, unconventional harmonic style and richness of texture. Its captivating originality makes it a celebrated work in Grieg’s output.