80. Young Musicians Series

Haydn’s Lark quartet is a great favourite among young Quartets finding their way through the maze of repertoire. The reason for calling this quartet the Lark is almost immediately self-evident – the unforgettable melody from the first violin is clearly the lark’s song soaring out above the earthbound march of the three lower instruments. This glorious song and its earthbound opposite reappear throughout the movement making us believe that perhaps we too can fly. Smetana had a difficult career so do not expect unalloyed joy from his autobiographical quartet but it is a powerful and moving work.