The Revolutionary Drawing Room: Mozart and Haydn Quartets

The Revolutionary Drawing Room, founded in 1990, has established a reputation for performing the chamber music of Revolutionary Europe (1789 – 1848) on period instruments. 

Appearing most frequently as a string quartet, the ensemble also combines with its wind and keyboard members to offer modern audiences a diverse range of music such as was played in the drawing rooms of that era. They have performed in Canada, Germany, Holland, Austria, Switzerland, Denmark and Ireland as well as appearing at festivals and concert series across the UK.

The Revolutionary Drawing Room has recorded for CPO (Donizetti and Boccherini string quartets) and Clarinet Classics (Mozart Clarinet Quartet) and produced an originally conceived double CD, A Viennese Quartet Party for Omnibus Classics. With flautist Rachel Brown, they have recorded a double CD of flute quartets by Mozart and his contemporaries on the Uppernote label.

Over a four year period, the Revolutionary Drawing Room performed a complete Beethoven cycle at St John’s Smith Square, programming these seminal works alongside lesser known quartets of Beethoven’s time, including those by Anton Reicha and the young Mendelssohn. The cycle culminated in 2020 with performances of all the late quartets.

Post-pandemic appearances have included concerts in the Swaledale, Pinner and Suffolk Villages Festivals and the Wingham International Concert Series. Their most recent performance was a sell-out concert at Stoke Newington Early Music Festival.

Programme

Haydn String Quartet in F major Op.77 No.2

Allegro moderato; Menuet Presto; Andante; Finale Vivace assai

Mozart String Quartet in D minor KV 421

Allegro moderato; Andante; Menuetto Allegretto; Allegretto ma non troppo

Presented by The Georgian Concert Society