Luckily, their place was taken by the Navarra Quartet who played at the Festival last year. The programme was also altered from all-Beethoven to quartets by Mozart and Shostakovich.
These would seem strange bedfellows, particularly as the Dissonance Quartet, in spite of its title, shows Mozart at his most elegant and urbane, not qualities one associates with Shostakovich’s chamber music.
Yet the combination worked, perhaps because the Navarras emphasised the drama of the Mozart in a strongly characterised, if not infallible, performance.
They also did not shirk the challenge of the Shostakovich, seeming to revel in it. This was a hard slog at times for audience and performer but ultimately rewarding in its mysterious ending, dying gently away, as if stretching into infinity.
Much is said about this music as testament to the terrors of Stalin’s Russia, but played with the Mozart it was its sheer abstract beauty that was striking.
Its theme, like all great music, went beyond words or material considerations.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here