The String Quartets – Britten Weekend with the Doric Quartet & Friends

Join us for a weekend in the company of the outstanding Doric Quartet exploring Britten’s string quartets, performed alongside music by Purcell, Mozart, Elgar, Korngold, Copland and John Woolrich. Written over four decades, from the 1930s to the very end of his life, the string quartets provide intriguing snapshots into pivotal moments of Britten’s life and work. The weekend begins with Britten’s charming, early Three Divertimenti (1936) and ends with his Third String Quartet (1975) performed twice with the audience surrounding the musicians on a darkened Snape Maltings Concert Hall stage, the venue where the work was premiered two weeks after Britten’s death. Britten’s music has been at the heart of the Doric Quartet’s programming for several years and ahead of their forthcoming recording of the quartets, this weekend marks an important milestone for the ensemble as a culmination of its long-term commitment to the repertoire.