Serioso and Serene

  • Thursday, 1 May 2025

    11:00 am

  • Albert Hall

    100 Commonwealth Ave, Yarralumla ACT 2601, Australia

  • General Admission $63,

    Concession $58

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Beethoven’s self-titled Serioso quartet, composed during the politically charged Napoleonic era, reflects his personal and political struggles with a sense of urgency and defiant shifts in tone, embodying a longing for freedom. In contrast, Dvořák’s 14th and final String Quartet radiates a broad, hopeful vision, capturing his deep love for Czech folk traditions. Written after his time in the United States, the piece expresses both pride in his heritage and a subtle resistance to the political dominance over his homeland. Cheetham Fraillon’s Bungaree, is a powerful string quartet that highlights the often-overlooked relationship between explorer Matthew Flinders and Bungaree, a Kurringai man whose diplomacy and knowledge were instrumental in mapping Australia. Blending Indigenous Australian musical heritage with classical string quartet traditions, the piece honours Bungaree’s contributions and cultural legacy. Flinders Quartet bring us these powerful works that blend intense emotion with moments of profound calm and resolve. 

PROGRAM

Ludwig van Beethoven, String Quartet No. 11, Op. 95, ‘Serioso’ 

Deborah Cheetham Fraillon, Bungaree 

Antonín Dvořák, String Quartet No. 14, Op. 105 in A flat 

Duration 70min no interval.

ARTISTS

Flinders Quartet
Elizabeth Sellars (violin)
Wilma Smith (violin)
Helen Ireland (viola)
Zoe Knighton (cello)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

This concert is generously supported by Peronelle and Jim Windeyer

Photo credit – Pia Johnson
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  • Thursday, 1 May 2025

    11:00 am

  • Albert Hall

    100 Commonwealth Ave, Yarralumla ACT 2601, Australia

  • General Admission $63,

    Concession $58

Buy Tickets Now

ARTIST Learn more about the artist

Artist Flinders Quartet

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Flinders Quartet (FQ) is instantly recognisable as one of Australia’s most loved chamber music ensembles. A quartet for the 21st century and a highly respected force in Australian chamber music, FQ marks their twenty-fifth anniversary with acknowledged musical skill and maturity.

FQ lives up to their motto of “caring for tradition, daring to be different” through a busy schedule encompassing live and online performances, commissioning, recording, education and mentorship programs including the successful composer development programs ‘Ascend’ and ‘Emerge’, and outreach activities through their artistic patronage of John Noble’s Itet regional quartet program, Resonance String Orchestra, and Musica Viva’s Strike a Chord championship.

Photo credit – Pia Johnson