The Bloodwood String Quartet will perform in Walcha this evening as part of their regional tour that has wowed regional New England.
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The group have been bringing chamber music – intimate pieces for a small orchestra – to Wallabadah, Barraba, Deepwater and Breeza, as part of Arts NSW’s Pocket Productions initiative. They will also play in Armidale on Thursday evening.
“Armidale doesn't technically form part of the official tour, but because two of the quartet are from Armidale we made a special concert here,” said violist Laura Curotta.
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She and cellist Robert Jackson are both teachers at NECOM. They were founding members of the quartet, which began at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music in 2006. The newer members of the quartet are Brisbane-based violinists Daniel Lopez and Jason Tong. Joining them as guest artist is Daniel’s wife, cellist Eleanor Streatfeild, formerly of Armidale.
“We’re all good friends, and we’ve all played together, but this is the first time we’ve played together in this formation,” Laura said.
Daniel, Jason, and Eleanor play together regularly in a Brisbane quartet. Laura first met Jason many years ago at a youth orchestra, and played with Eleanor in an Armidale quartet. Eleanor met the four at Australian Youth Orchestra music camps, while Robert and Daniel played together on a cruise ship near Alaska.
“We're in contact with each other as friends, and we're aware of the projects we've been doing,” Daniel said, “so it's really nice to be able to play together great music with people that you like.”
The group will play Haydn’s String Quartet Op.1 No.1 "The Chase", with its galloping, horsey theme; Schubert’s String Quintet in C Major; and Boccherini’s La Musica Notturna Delle Strade Di Madrid No. 6, which describes Madrid street life by night.
“It tells the story from the beginning of the evening where the bells are tolling, calling the faithful to prayer, the arrival of military night watch, and it goes through a series of events through that particular night and ending with the retreat of the military,” Laura said.
The Bloodwood Quartet will perform at the Sports Club on Wednesday April 11 at 7pm. Tickets: $20 adult, $10 concession.
