The Ficino Quartet comprises four of our most inspirational musicians and has featured in NSQF&rsquo\;s programme each year since 2019. This autumn they revive a lovely quartet by Ian Wilson and look forward to next year&rsquo\;s Beethoven anniversary with performances of his epic C sharp minor quartet. \;
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\n\nIan Wilson&rsquo\;s beautifully descriptive and atmospheric Lyric Suite was commissioned by RTÉ\; Lyric FM in 2004. It comprises Seven Elegiac Pieces which the composer describes as songs without words which explore a range of colours and emotions in their brief spans. \;
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\n\nBeethoven&rsquo\;s monumental C sharp minor quartet Op.131 is considered by many to be his greatest. It is a perfectly structured seven movement odyssey\, played without a pause\, which leads the listener through the many and varied pages of a universal story. Its opening fugue is austere and searching\, its central movements shift between tenderness\, wit and restless drive\, and its dazzling finale unleashes a fierce\, defiant energy. \;
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\n\nFicino Quartet \;
\n\nElaine Clark\, violin \;
\n\nLynda O&rsquo\;Connor\, violin \;
\n\nNathan Sherman\, viola \;
\n\nAilbhe McDonagh\, cello \;
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\n\nThe Programme
\n\nIan Wilson - Quartet No.7 Lyric Suite [2004] \;
\n\nBeethoven - String Quartet in C sharp minor Op.131 [1826]
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