Lir Quartet
Schubert String Quartet in E flat major D.87
Shostakovich String Quartet No. 3 in F major Op. 73
Founded for Barry Douglas’ 2017 Clandeboye Festival, the Lir Quartet is one of Ireland’s most exciting chamber groups and are joined for their tour this autumn by violinist Patrick Rafter. Schubert’s E flat quartet D.87 was written in 1813 when Schubert was just 17 and, while not on the dramatic scale of his late quartets, is a masterpiece of Viennese charm and elegance. Shostakovich’s third quartet, from 1946, is one of the finest, most evocative works in the repertoire, a heart-rending response to the horror of the second world war.