Emerson Quartet, Queen Elizabeth Hall

New York's celebrated Emerson Quartet take us on a journey through three masterpieces of the string quartet repertoire. After opening with the father of genre, Haydn, we are brought up to the 20th century with Ravel, before returning to Haydn’s pupil, Beethoven.

Together for over three decades, the Emerson Quartet is an expert chamber ensemble. They are renown for their huge variety of colour and expression whilst always remaining single-minded as an ensemble. The arrival of the cellist Paul Watkins March 2013 signified a new direction for the group, producing a fresh burst of energy.

The programme is made up of three expressive, contrasting pieces from the string quartet repertoire. We have wit from Haydn, serenity and playfulness from Ravel, and Beethoven’s late fraught style.

Nicknamed “How do you do”, Haydn’s String Quartet Op. 33, No. 5 in G major is a prime example of the composer’s celebrated musical wit. Ravel’s String Quartet in F major represents his only effort in the genre. It premiered in 1904 to mixed reviews from the Parisian press, but its transcendental melodies and playful moments have ensured that it remains popular. Beethoven’s String Quartet in B flat, Op. 130 had a similar mixed reception. The work is highly fraught, and firmly situated within the composer’s conflicted ‘late’ period.

Don’t miss this opportunity to hear a concert that explores the huge versatility of the string quartet repertoire.