Presented by Flinders Quartet
The Bird and the Bush - Montsalvat
Simpson, Haydn, Eötvös and Brahms - nature, wit and world premieres.
The Bird and the Bush closes FQ’s 2027 season with two world premieres. Nardi Simpson, Yuwaalaraay writer, singer and composer, wants listeners to feel, as violinist Elizabeth Sellars puts it, "the dirt between your fingers"; her new commission for Listen to the Land carries that same directness.
Alongside it comes the first of three string quartets FQ has commissioned from Melody Eötvös over five years. The collaboration began after the quartet heard her horn trio Shivelight and recognised a kindred instinct for string colour, music that reaches back through time even as it unfolds in the moment. Haydn's Bird quartet folds birdsong into its finale with characteristic wit, while Brahms's String Quartet No.2 belongs to a composer who worked many of his ideas out on walks through the Bavarian mountains and lakes, manuscript in hand. A season that began by listening to the land ends the same way.
Melody Eötvös' new work is commissioned by Flinders Quartet with support from Fiona Phillips and The Ramsay Family, in memory of their mother Mrs Rosemary Hopkins (formerly Ramsay).
Please note: This is an offsite concert, taking place at Montsalvat Barn Gallery in Eltham.
Melbourne Recital Centre is the authorised ticket seller for Flinders Quartet events at Montsalvat.
Duration: 2 hours (incl. interval). Please note, running times are approximate and subject to change.
Tickets
Single Show Ticket
Standard $50 ($40 Concession)
3 Concert Subscription
Standard $129 ($102 Concession)
A Transaction Fee between $4 and $8.50 applies to orders made online and by phone. Delivery Fees may also apply. A ticket limit of six is in place online to ensure fair ticket access for all. Want to bring a bigger party? Call our Box Office during business hours on (03) 9699 3333 to book.
Artists
Elizabeth Sellars violin
Wilma Smith violin
Helen Ireland viola
Zoe Knighton cello
Program
Nardi Simpson
New Work*
Joseph Haydn
String Quartet in C, Op.33 No.3 'The Bird'
Melody Eötvös
New Work**
Johannes Brahms
String Quartet No.2 in A minor, Op.51 No.2
*World premiere, commissioned by Flinders Quartet as part of Listen to the Land
**World premiere, commissioned by Flinders Quartet with support from Fiona Phillips and The Ramsay Family, in memory of their mother Mrs Rosemary Hopkins (formerly Ramsay).