NZSQ in Munster, Germany

Program

Gareth Farr, "Te Koanga"

Salina Fisher, "Torino" for string quartet 

Samuel Barber, String Quartet in B flat minor op. 11

Benjamin Britten, String Quartet No. 2C major op. 36

Since 1987, the New Zealand String Quartet has been taking New Zealand music all over the world – and quartet literature from all over the world to their own country.

The string quartet from "Down Under" has an extraordinarily wide-ranging repertoire, from Henry Purcell to the music of contemporary New Zealand composers, and sees itself as a musical mediator between the worlds. The four strings have premiered more than 150 works by New Zealand composers to date. They played some together with the most important instrumentalists of the Maori, they build further bridges in collaboration with artists from jazz and folk.

The New Zealand String Quartet has made many important CD recordings, including a Bartók cycle in collaboration with Zoltan Szekely, productions for Naxos with works by Mendelssohn, Berg, Brahms, Beethoven, Schubert, Debussy, Ravel, Dvorak and New Zealand composers. The ensemble has been Quartet-in-Residence at the Victoria University of Wellington since 1991.

All musicians perform on rare, historical master instruments: Helene Pohl (violin by Petrus Guarneri, Venice 1730), Monique Lapins (violin by Lorenzo Storioni, Cremona 1784), Gillian Ansell (viola by Niccolo Amati, 1619), Rolf Gjelsten (cello by Francesco Gofriller, 1705).

The concert will be recorded by WDR 3.