David Oistrakh Quartet and Elisso VirsaladzeHong Kong Arts FestivalThe 45th Hong Kong Arts Festival

Russian virtuosi and a legendary pianist

Named in honour of the great Soviet-era violinist David Oistrakh (1908-1974), this quartet features four of Russia’s most outstanding musicians.

Like Oistrakh almost eighty years earlier, first violinist Andrey Baranov is a winner of the Queen Elisabeth International Violin Competition in 2012. Between them, the four players have won prizes in many of the world’s most prestigious competitions and starred as soloists with such leading orchestras such as the London Philharmonic and St. Petersburg Philharmonic. In addition, Fedor Belugin was violist for several years with the famous Shostakovich Quartet.

The programme offers profound and well-loved works by masters of the quartet form. Deeply felt Haydn contrasts Shostakovich’s powerful composition dedicated “to the victims of fascism and war”, while virtuosic Paganini caprices complement the quartet Tchaikovsky regarded as his best. This promises to be a memorable concert.

Joining forces with the legendary Georgian pianist, Elisso Virsaladze, the Quartet’s first Festival concert brings two major quintets, by Brahms and Schumann. A truly outstanding concert for chamber music lovers.

20 Feb Elisso Virsaladze and David Oistrakh Quartet
Brahms
Piano Quintet in F minor, Op 34

Schumann
Piano Quintet in E-flat major, Op 44

21 Feb David Oistrakh Quartet
Haydn
String Quartet, Op 51, Seven Last Words' Introduction

Shostakovich
String Quartet No 8 in C minor, Op 110

Tchaikovsky
String Quartet No 2 in F major, Op 22

Paganini
24 Caprices, Op 1, Nos 20 and 24 (arrangement for string quartet by Fedor Belugin)