The Galway Music Residency’s ‘Experience Beethoven’ series continues next week with its second instalment on Saturday, 7 May at 7:30pm in St Nicholas’ Collegiate Church. This three-part series explores Beethoven’s early and late quartets, presenting a string quartet from both periods at each concert allowing listeners to follow the progress of one of the greatest ever composers. Saturday’s concert will be introduced by renowned music critic with The Irish Times, Michael Dervan, who will offer his insights into Beethoven’s compositions and provide context for the music that will be presented. The Galway ConTempo Quartet will perform String Quartets: No.5 – Op. 18, no. 5 and Op. 133 ‘Grosse Fuge’. 

Beethoven modelled his String Quartet No. 5 – Op. 18, no. 5 on Mozart’s String Quartet in the same key (A major), fully demonstrating his mastery of the ‘classical’ String Quartet as developed by Haydn and Mozart. The ‘Grosse Fuge’, described by Igor Stravinsky as “an absolutely contemporary piece of music that will be contemporary forever”, is Beethoven’s thought-provoking single-movement composition for string quartet. Originally condemned by critics for being incomprehensible, the work has gradually risen in critical estimation and is now considered to be among Beethoven’s greatest achievements. 

Tickets: €15/€12 - Students €10, available at Opus II, High Street, Galway, or on the door. 

Concerts run from 7:30pm-9pm each night.