Navarra String Quartet - Love & Death

One of the UK�s finest chamber ensembles, the Navarra Quartet, presents a programme of music exploring those eternal human preoccupations: Love and Death. Tolstoy�s Kreutzer Sonata, inspired by Beethoven�s work, in turn prompted Jan�?ek to write his String Quartet No.1, a piece that reflects Tolstoy�s story of passion and drama. Schubert�s immortal �Death and the Maiden� Quartet includes variations based on his song of the same name, in which the maiden attempts to delay Death�s advances. In Chrysanthemums, Puccini evokes flowers at an Italian funeral, and Spanish composer Joaqu�n Turina wrote The Bullfighter�s Prayer about a bullfighter�s moment of contemplation before facing his audience, and his own mortality. These works are interspersed with gems by Kurt�g, including a piece composed as a memorial for some of his dearest friends. The Navarra Quartet describes this programme as an �imaginary dialogue�, and the unique, conversational rapport of these musicians draws the listener into their intricate musical world.