This program of vivid contrasts is anchored by Elizabeth Younan’s Interwoven, a recent work exploring connection and expression. Haydn’s String Quartet in A major – part of his revolutionary Sun series – brings wit and invention, while Prokofiev’s wartime Second Quartet in F major draws on Caucasian folk idioms. Clara Schumann’s Variations, written in tribute to her husband Robert and arranged by Éric Mouret, closes the concert.

Limelight Editor’s Choice

The Australian String Quartet, one of the nation’s leading chamber ensembles, joins forces with Timothy Young, Head of Piano at the Australian National Academy of Music, for a program that illuminates two landmark works separated by more than 170 years yet united by craft, intensity and expressive imagination.

Robert Schumann’s Piano Quintet in E flat major, Op.44, written in 1842 during his extraordinary ‘chamber music year’, stands as a cornerstone of the genre. Here, the piano’s symphonic richness meets the nuanced intimacy of the string quartet, creating an equal partnership defined by bold gestures and finely etched lyricism.

The opening movement surges with rhythmic vitality, followed by a solemn and noble funeral march that blooms into turbulence. A spirited Scherzo lifts the mood with its fleet motifs and playful episodes. The finale crowns the work with contrapuntal brilliance and glowing exuberance, weaving earlier themes into a triumphant close.