Australian String Quartet Tour De Force a Culmination of Year-Long Journey

The Australian String Quartet (ASQ) will grace concert stages around the country in October and November with Symonds Beethoven, a program that is the culmination of a year-long journey with two monumental works.

Commencing in Adelaide on Tuesday 18 October 2022 and visiting Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra, the tour marks the World Premiere performances of Australian composer Jack Symonds' String Quartet No.2 which is presented alongside Beethoven's much-loved and mighty String Quartet in C-sharp minor, Op.131 from his late quartets.

"The great Op.131 of Beethoven is a rite of passage for us," says ASQ Violinist Dale Barltrop. "It is a work that we hold in the highest esteem. Alongside it, we are thrilled to unveil a new Australian quartet by Jack Symonds that we are immensely proud to be championing."

Symonds' String Quartet No.2 was commissioned by the ASQ through their Richard Divall Australian Music Fund. Based in Sydney, Symonds is one of the most exciting composers, conductors and artistic directors of his generation. The virtuosic work brilliantly showcases the ASQ's wide-ranging breadth of expression and extremes of colour.

According to Symonds this new commission and tour is a fantastic opportunity to expand on a musical partnership that was forged with the Quartet during the 2021 Adelaide Festival.

"It's a great pleasure to be working with the ASQ again. It's wonderful to have such a connection with the musicians and see them get on board with what I am trying to achieve in music, which sometimes pushes people to their virtuosic limits. To see them grapple with that and take it on as individuals and as part of a group is immensely satisfying", Symonds said.

For ASQ Cellist Michael Dahlenburg the pairing of music from Jack Symonds and Ludwig van Beethoven for this tour was based on the inspiration the Quartet receives from the inventiveness of these two works.

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"Inspiration is what I find in both pieces on this program, not just because they are at times unexpected or painfully beautiful, but because they gently take us into another world. The amazing creativity in the music of this program, the ability of the composers to transport us through a whole range of experiences, makes this a truly special concert.

It's a great honour to showcase new Australian music and this program has provided us with a huge source of inspiration. We can't wait to share it with audiences around the country", Dahlenburg said.