Jerusalem Quartet tours Australia with a Richard Mills commission

Founded in 1993, the Jerusalem Quartet is one of the most dynamic and exciting quartets in the world and is in the third year of its ground-breaking residency with the Australian organisation, Musica Viva.

Richard Mills is a vital force in Australian music. He is a sought-after guest conductor of all Australia's major orchestras and his compositions include orchestral and choral works, opera and ballet scores, songs and chamber music. He is Musica Viva's Featured Artist for 2008 and, as a result, he has been commissioned to create a new work for the Jerusalem Quartet to perform on its forthcoming tour of Australia.

Expect an intense musical journey with a wild and virtuosic finale from the Mills piece. Dramatic overtones continue in Smetana's autobiographical work From My Life, which closes with a persistent high E signifying the ringing in the composer's ears that marked the sudden and catastrophic onset of deafness in 1874. Ravel's rhapsodic string quartet is redolent with striking tonal effects and youthful energy — hallmarks of the Jerusalem Quartet.

Kicking off in early October in Brisbane, the Quartet will tour all the major state capitals, including the Melbourne International Arts Festival.

Alexander Pavlovsky violin
Sergei Bresler violin
Amichai Grosz viola
Kyril Zlotnikov cello