HAYDN - String Quartet in C, Op.76 No.3 "Emperor"
MARTINŮ - String Quartet No.3
TCHAIKOVSKY - Quartet No.3 in E flat minor, Op.30

Bringing the MCCS 26/27 season to a triumphant close, we welcome one of Europe’s leading young string quartets. The Fibonacci Quartet formed while at college in London, and are the only ensemble ever to win both the First and Audience Prize at the Premio Paolo Borciani International String Quartet Competition.

Their programme opens with Haydn’s String Quartet in C, often known as the ‘Emperor’ quartet for its melodic references to Haydn’s own famous tune the ‘Emperor's Hymn’, which has inspired countless anthems, hymns and other classical works in the centuries since.

Moving to a very different soundworld, Martinů’s String Quartet No.3 was inspired by the composer’s move to early twentieth century Paris. Here, he encountered the new sounds of jazz, with plucked strings, driving rhythms, and blues-inflected chords.

Finally, Tchaikovsky’s Quartet No. 3 is a work bursting with light and shade, from mournful solemnity to almost frantic passages that pass between all four instruments. This is music that shows off the whole range of sounds that a string quartet can produce, in a fantastic finale to our 2026-27 season.