Concert Programs
Northern Lights
Whilst on our mission - reviving forgotten music from the early days of the string quartet genre - we came across a number of Scandinavian composers. In addition to quartets by the Swedes Anders Wesström and Johan Wikmanson, we also perform works by Joseph Martin Kraus, Johann Gottlieb Naumann and Georg Joseph Vogler, all long-time residents of northern Europe, who left their mark and lasting influence on the regional music scene. Teaser-Video: Nordlichter
Catch me if you can
The Lombardini Quartet embarks on a hunt through the musical themes of eighteenth-century Vienna. Expect a rich haul of canons, fugues and counterpoints by Florian Leopold Gassmann, Georg Matthias Monn, Georg Christoph Wagenseil, Gregor Joseph Werner and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Women’s Voices
What do a duchess, a travelling virtuoso violinist, and the founder of the first female string quartet in the eighteenth century have in common? All of them were women composers at a time when writing works of music was considered inappropriate for their gender. The Lombardini Quartet lifts the work of past female composers out of the shadows of the male-dominated history of music. This programme features wonderful compositions by Amalie Marie Friederike Auguste, duchess of Saxony; Maddalena Laura Lombardini and Felicita Blangini.
Scuola delle Nazioni
Anyone who wanted to make a name for themselves playing the violin in the eighteenth century had to journey to Giuseppe Tartini in Padua. From the late 1720s, he taught young virtuosi from all over Europe at his Scuola delle Nazioni. Many of his students tried their hand at composing string quartets, a still new and highly experimental genre at the time. Join the Lombardini Quartet on the trail of Tartini’s students with works by Maddalena Laura Lombardini, Antonín Kamell, Gaetano Pugnani, Joseph Touchemoulin and Anders Wesström.
Il quadro in scena
In this programme the Lombardini Quartet travels around eighteenth-century Italy, their luggage packed with works by Maddalena Laura Lombardini, Gaetano Latilla, Luigi Boccherini and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Join them on their musical journey to operatic scenes in which prima donnas, furies, and heroes meet.
The Origins of the String Quartet
Who invented the string quartet? This question has been hotly debated by musicologists past and present. Often the reply has been: Joseph Haydn. But surely this reveals a good dollop of cultural chauvinism? Hard to believe that it was all down to a single person, and, moreover, one who rightly achieved enduring fame. After all, at the end of the basso continuo era, all across Europe composers such as Joseph Haydn, Antonín Kamell, Georg Matthias Monn and Maddalena Laura Lombardini were itching to try their hand at new genres.