Tuesday 17 Jul 2007

Pittville Pump Room, East Approach Drive, Cheltenham GL52 3JE; Box office: 01242 227979
Tickets: £10-£20

Programme:
Joseph Haydn - String Quartet No 1 in G major, Op 77
Vladimir Shostakovich - String Quartet No 13 in B flat minor, Op 138
W A Mozart - String Quartet in D major, K499 (Hoffmeister)

Quartet No 13 by Shostakovich, an awe-inspiring single movement work has been dubbed ‘a hymn to the viola’ and will provide a fitting showcase for the Belcea’s superb viola player Krzysztof Chorzelski. Haydn’s Op.77 quartets, written at the end of his life, show the composer at the peak of his inspiration and technique. The K499 or Hoffmeister was penned at a high point of Mozart’s career, a few weeks after the brilliant premiere of Le nozze di Figaro, and is one of his most enduringly popular, sunny and unclouded works.

More details on www.cheltenhamfestivals.com.