The Laursen Quartet performed :
String Quartet Op. 54, No. 2 by Franz Joseph Haydn and
String Quartet No.2 in A minor Op.13 by Felix Mendelssohn
About the Music
Composed in 1788 Haydn’s String Quartet Op. 54, No. 2 is one of 12 quartets written for Hungarian violinist Johann Tost. It is bold, virtuosic and forward looking. The second movement, an extraordinary adagio, is infused with elements of Hungarian gypsy music, slow, improvisatory and melancholic.
Passionate and romantic, Mendelssohn’s String Quartet No.2 in A minor Op.13 was composed in 1827 when Mendelssohn was just 18 years old. Beethoven, whose late string quartets fascinated Mendelssohn, had died just a few months previously. Beethoven’s influence can be seen throughout Mendelssohn’s String Quartet No. 2 in A minor, especially in the Adagio with its slow, fugal section.
The Musicians
Hyunjee Chung
Excelling as a soloist, chamber and orchestral musician, violinist Hyunjee Chung was born and raised in Seoul, where, influenced by her pianist mother, she began violin studies at the age of 6... Read more ( PDF)
Colin Laursen
From Durham, North Carolina, violist and violinist Colin Laursen began his musical education at a young age, and developed an early passion for chamber music by performing frequently with his brother... Read more ( PDF)
Frankie Carr
English cellist Frankie Carr was born in 1998 into a family of string players. At the age of 16 Frankie finally accepted the fact that he would never be a rock star or a Premier League football player... Read more ( PDF)
Orin Laursen
Described as possessing “dazzl[ing] virtuosity” (Toronto Concert Reviews) and “deep understanding and artistry” (CVNC) violinist Orin Laursen is an active soloist and chamber musician... Read more ( PDF)
