Quartet Plans Beethoven 17

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30979, 8 February 1966, Page 10

Quartet Plans Beethoven 17

The complete cycle of Beethoven’s string quartets will be played in Christchurch this year by the University of Canterbury’s new resident string quartet, the Prague Quartet. The Czech musicians will play the 17 quartets in six Sunday evening concerts between May and October. The'quartets are a great landmark of chamber music. Composed between 1798 and 1826, the span a longer period of Beethoven’s creativity than his symphonies and contain some of his most penetrating thoughts and finest music. Although the quartets are standard works for professional quartets, the performance of the cycle in any centre is a rare and significant event. The cycle was last performed in New Zealand by the Hungarian Quartet on a visit to Wellington. The Hungarian Quartet is at present playing the cycle in London for the first time in several years. In addition to the Beethoven series the Prague Quartet will give a series of four concerts devoted to other chamber music. This series is expected to include some Czech music. “The presence of the quartet at the School of Music should be a wonderful stimulus,” said Professor J. A. Ritchie. “It will present great opportunities for violin and cello students and it will also stimulate our composition students, who will now have their string quartets performed.”