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This event is part of Minimal

For a venerable ensemble two centuries old, the string quartet has proven itself a most versatile and inspirational of contemporary muses for composers including Adams, Glass and Reich. This season we bring you the complete works for Quartet by Reich (next May, Kronos Quartet will bring his brand new work for them – not yet written) while the Smith Quartet offer three utterly different works here.

Different Trains captured the public imagination with great force due to the thrill of its sound – howling train whistles and driving rhythms give it one of the most inspirational openings of any new work of the past century. It’s a complex piece, emotionally: its darkness is as poignant as its energy is contagious. Duet is a moment of repose by comparison, Reich’s own tribute to Yehudi Menuhin’s ideals and work for international understanding. What follows is simply virtuoso composing demanding virtuoso performance. Three quartets at once. Unmissable.

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