Lir Quartet - part of Quartets at Triskel series

Lir Quartet, presented by Triskel Arts Centre in association with the National String Quartet Foundation, on Saturday 12 October at 1.10pm

Founded for Barry Douglas’ 2017 Clandeboye Festival, the Lir Quartet is one of Ireland’s most exciting chamber groups and they are joined for their tour this autumn by violinist Patrick Rafter. Schubert’s E flat quartet D.87 is a masterpiece of Viennese charm and elegance, written in 1813 when Schubert was just 17. Shostakovich’s third quartet, from 1946, is one of the finest, most evocative works in the repertoire, a heart-rending response to the horror of the Second World War.

Patrick Rafter, violin
Siobhán Doyle, violin
Ed Creedon, viola
Christopher Ellis, cello

Programme
Schubert String Quartet in E flat major D.87
Shostakovich String Quartet No. 3 in F major Op. 73

The National String Quartet Foundation is a legacy of the work of the Vanbrugh Quartet. Resident Quartet to RTÉ from 1986 to 2013 and Artists in Residence at University College, Cork from 1990 until the retirement of violinist Gregory Ellis in 2017, the Vanbrugh Quartet gave nearly 2,000 concerts throughout Ireland as well as enjoying a successful international career.

The Foundation creates and sponsors projects which bring live chamber music to audiences throughout Ireland. It is committed to supporting musicians who wish to explore and perform the string quartet repertoire and to helping concert promoters present this rich and rewarding music.