A whole lot more of this fantastic four

LEADING British string ensemble, the Doric Quartet, will perform works by Haydn, Schubert and a new work by Australian composer Brett Dean for Musica Viva Tasmania at the Hobart Town Hall on Tuesday.

The quartet consists of violinists Alex Redington and Jonathon Stone, violist Helene Clement and cellist John Myerscough.

They will open the program with String

Quartet Opus 33 No.2 The Joke, by Haydn. The work was written in the middle part of his major string quartet output and is optimistic and high-spirited. It earned the nickname “The Joke” because of the unexpected and unusual notation he used, particularly in the last movement.

The quartet will then situate itself in the 21st century with their performance of Brett Dean’s new five-movement work String Quartet No.3, Hidden Agendas, written specifically for them.

Dean has been a fan of the quartet and performed and recorded with them a number of times since he was entranced by their interpretation of his first quartet,

Eclipse, at the 2007 International Chamber Competition in Melbourne.

He said the music in the new quartet ranged from fiery, physical and virtuosic, to “poignantly seeking and intimate”.

Back to the early 19th century and the quartet will conclude the concert with String Quartet in G Major D.887, by Schubert.

It was Schubert’s final quartet, written when he was terminally ill and published after his death.

The Doric Quartet will perform at the Hobart Town Hall at 8pm on Tuesday. Tickets are from $70-$88, available from mvt.org.au or the Theatre Royal box office.