Auckland based Nacht Quartet musicians are violinists Nathan Pinkney and Alec Li, violist Cecile McNeill, and cellist Hyein Kim.  They are passionate chamber musicians who, even during the pandemic, have managed to contribute widely to the classical music scene in Aotearoa New Zealand.   In 2020, cellist Hyein won the Gisborne International Music Competition, and along with Cecile in 2021, was selected as a young artist for the Wakatipu Music Festival in Queenstown.  During 2021 Nathan was a member of the Adam Troubadour Quartet and performed in the Adam Chamber Music Festival, and with Alex and Cecile, freelance for the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra.

Nacht Quartet will perform:

Beethoven String Quartet No. 4 in C Minor, Op. 18 No. 4

Dvorak String Quartet in F Major, Op. 96 – “American”

Cecile describes Beethoven’s work as both stormy and playful.  In 1798 Beethoven began writing his Op. 18 collection of six string quartets, and this one, set in the key of C minor, is the only minor quartet of those six.   She perceives Dvorak’s work as both jaunty, languid and triumphant.  She suggests we listen out in the third movement as Dvorak gives the first violin the song of Scarlet Tanager, a bird he encountered when hiking in America.

This concert will be run differently to what we are used to.  Due to the current Protection Framework Red Setting, we will host two shorter concerts, one after the other.  If you buy tickets above you are buying them for the 6.30pm-7.30pm concert.  There are only 26 tickets for sale in each concert.  Everyone must present their vaccination pass at the door, wear a mask inside Whittakers, and sit socially distanced.  The musicians do not have to wear masks on stage.