Ink Quartet

Wenchun Fan (violin) Shuwei Zuo (violin) Xin He (viola) Fangning Dong (cello)

Schubert in the Shadows

Franz Schubert - String Quartet in D minor, D801, “Death and the Maiden”
Franz Schubert - Quartettsatz in C minor, D703

When the young Schubert was chosen to be a chorister for the Court Chapel and gained admission to the Stadtkonvikt (Imperial and Royal Seminary) in 1808, he received a rich musical education and actively participated in musical activities. The exuberant “Trout” piano quintet of 1819 and this Quartettsatz, a surviving first movement of a planned C minor quartet written in 1820, set the scene for the great chamber works of his later years, for example:in 1824 the Octet, the “Rosamunde” and “Death and the Maiden” quartets; in 1826 the G major quartet; in 1827 his two piano trios and so on.

Quartettsatz opens with threatening, semitonal creepings. Despite its quiet beginning, Schubert's opening phrase possesses a dramatic intensity that is new in his chamber music. A joyfully expressive second subject in Ab major relaxes the tension; it encourages the opening phrase to be transformed into more nostalgic versions of itself before its final emphatic return.

The string quartet in D minor quartet, D.810 was the second of two quartets written in 1824, and also known as Der Tod und das Mädchen (‘Death and the Maiden’) because in the second movement, Schubert composed a set of variations based on a fragment of the piano accompaniment from the song of the same name which he had composed back in 1817.

Ink Quartet

Formed in 2021, The Ink String Quartet is based in Manchester and offers chamber music performances and recordings. As a newly formed quartet, they faced many challenges during the pandemic year, however, their passion for music has served as an inspiration for them to continue learning and developing their musical skills.

They will perform concerts and recitals in both the United Kingdom and China during the upcoming season. They are particularly interested in participating in chamber music competitions and festivals, and were recently awarded the second prize in the 14th Concorso Internazionale Musicale 'Luigi Cerritelli'.

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