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Diderot String Quartet performs Haydn and Mozart

Concert at Matsqui Centennial Auditorium in Abbotsford on Jan. 12
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The Diderot String Quartet performs in Abbotsford on Jan. 12 as part of the Valley Concert Society’s series. (Submitted photo)

The Valley Concert Society presents the Diderot String Quartet in a concert of great works from the classical era on Saturday, Jan. 12.

The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. at Matsqui Centennial Auditorium (32315 South Fraser Way).

The Diderot Quartet is in its fourth year of a residency at the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, DC.

They have served as guest faculty at Oberlin’s Baroque Performance Institute, been in residence at Aldeburgh Music in the U.K. and performed at the Carmel Bach Festival.

The program in Abbotsford will open with the music of Joseph Haydn, “the father of the string quartet.”

The Diderot String Quartet will play one of his famous Sun quartets, a series of six quartets that were pivotal in the development of that genre.

The final piece on the program is Mozart’s Dissonance quartet, probably his most famous string quartet.

From an unusual beginning which gave the quartet its nickname, Mozart went on to create a work of true genius.

Between these two masterpieces, the quartet will play a gem from an unjustly neglected French composer named Hyacinthe Jadin.

Jadin’s life, which was tragically cut short by illness, overlapped with that of Haydn and Mozart for a period of 10 years.

The members of the quartet came together through a shared passion for performing on period instruments. The audience will hear these works sounding more like they did in the 18th century.

The regular Liz Carter Talk will be held in the foyer at 6:50 p.m. and will include two members of the quartet.

Tickets for the concert are available online at valleyconcertsociety.com. The cost is $28 for adults and $15 for students. Call 604-289-3377 for more information.