Doric String Quartet

The Doric String Quartet, formed in 1998, makes its Durham debut. Based in the U.K., the Doric plays with less vibrato than most, producing an unusually "pure" sound. The Quartet achieves clear and steady pianissimos at the threshold of audibility without ever resorting to mutes. According to Lee Eiseman's review of a recent concert, "The many surprising moments included some highly original left-hand pizzicatos, a democratic approach of seamlessly shifting dominance of parts, and niceties of accent and expression that were entirely their own."

Committed, like the St. Lawrence String Quartet, to the re-enthroning of Haydn, the creator not only of the symphony but also of the string quartet, the Doric begins the evening with his buoyant "Joke" quartet. The ensemble then alters the musical atmosphere by juxtaposing Benjamin Britten's late Third Quartet, revealing as many similarities as differences between the two. This remarkable evening concludes with Schubert's magisterial and uncompromising final string quartet.

Program
Haydn: Quartet in E-flat Major, op. 33, no. 2 ("Joke")

Britten: Quartet No. 3

Schubert: Quartet in G Major, D. 887