23rd March 2012
Dora Stoutzker Hall, Cardiff @ 13:15 PM
HAYDN String Quartet
SHOSTAKOVICH String Quartet No.8
Haydn or Shostakovich? Who will reign victorious as Sinfonia Cymru’s talented string musicians perform these popular Quartet pieces back to back in a Haydn vs. Shostakovich head to head! Haydn, famous master of the string quartet is renowned for cultivating the quartet as a prestigious form of classical composition in the 18th Century, while Shostakovich brought the string quartet to the forefront of classical music during a ‘modern era’ revival of quartet composition.
This recital reflects Sinfonia Cymru’s Haydn themed celebrations, as a variety of his pieces are performed throughout the 2011-12 season. The talented young Welsh cellist Steffan Morris performs Haydn’s Cello Concerto in C major as part of the upcoming April 2012 concert tour, playing at the Dora Stoutzker Hall on April 19th.
The orchestra also performs Shostakovich Chamber Symphony [Sting Quartet No.8 arr Barshai] in the programme, giving audiences the chance to listen to Russian conductor Rudolf Barshai’s hugely popular arrangement of Shostakovich’s original Eighth String Quartet, as well as the original composition performed, as it was intended, in this pre-concert recital.
