Fresh from a highly successful London Festival, the Goldner String Quartet will join with long time colleague and friend Ian Munro in a national tour during August.

One of Australia’s longest running and most loved string quartets, the Goldner String Quartet evolved from the ranks of the Australia Ensemble at UNSW in 1995 when Musica Viva’s former patron, the late Ken Tribe, encouraged the members to form a quartet. The four musicians have played together for over 20 years, and share an even closer connection as two married couples, with Dene and Irena married to each other and Dimity and Julian also married.

Named after Musica Viva founder Richard Goldner, the Quartet have had a long relationship with Musica Viva audiences, regularly touring for Musica Viva, and participating in both Musica Viva Festivals, including the 2011 Festival which saw them performing main stage concerts and teaching Australian Youth Orchestra students.

The Quartet made its Wigmore Hall debut in 1997 and has since toured to the USA, Europe, Korea, Singapore and New Zealand. Most recently the Quartet enjoyed huge success and rave reviews for its participation in the City of London Festival in July 2011 and for its most recent Elgar recordings with pianist Piers Lane. Named BBC Music Magazines ‘Disc of the Month’, reviewer Stephen Johnson says “This is one of those rare discs that gives pleasure and food for thought in equal measures”.

Ian Munro is regarded as one of Australia’s finest pianists. For this tour he will perform a dual role as pianist and composer, with his new work Piano Quintet no 2 having its world premiere performance.

Ian has played with the Goldner String Quartet for many years, and regularly performs with them in his capacity as resident pianist in the Australia Ensemble.

“The Goldners and I have been working together for over twelve years. We have appeared together so many times I can’t remember. I count them as close friends and greatly admired colleagues,” Says Ian.

Acknowledged ass one of Australia’s most distinguished and awarded musicians, Ian’s career has taken him to more than 30 countries across the globe. In 2003, his first large-scale composition Dreams for solo piano and orchestra won the composition strand of the Queen Elisabeth International Competition in Brussels, prompting a sting of commissions and cementing Ian as both performer and composer.

As Musica Viva’s Featured Composer for 2011, two of Ian’s works have already been performed this season by the Eggner Trio and the Brentano String Quartet, with another still to come later in the year: Ian’s Clarinet Quintet, Songs from the Bush (2010) to be performed by Sabine Meyer and the Modigliani String Quartet in November.

For this tour with Ian Munro, the Goldner String Quartet will present a program of great piano quintets by Brahms and Dvoák alongside Munro’s new Piano Quintet no.2. The Quartet will also perform Szymanowski String Quartet no 1and Beethoven String Quartet no 10.

“Were excited to get the chance to perform two of the greatest piano quintets ever written, along with a new work by our friend and colleague Ian Munro, and we have the chance to revisit two of our favourite quartets and the opportunity to play them many times.” says Irena.

Ian Munro’s Piano Quintet no 2 has been commissioned for Musica Viva by Julian Burnside AO QC.
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MASTERCLASSES

• Dene Olding and Irena Morozova will hold a masterclass at the University of Queensland on Wednesday 24th August.
• Two members of the Goldner String Quartet will hold a materclass at the University of Western Australia from 5pm on Wednesday 7th September.
• Ian Munro will hold a masterclass at the University of Western Australia from 6.30pm on Wednesday 7th September.
• Ian Munro will be speaking at the Queensland Art Gallery - 10.30am on Wednesday 24th August, contact the Gallery for more details.
  

NATIONAL TOUR DATES

• SYDNEY | MONDAY AUGUST 22, 7PM
• BRISBANE | TUESDAY AUGUST 23, 7PM
• NEWCASTLE | THURSDAY AUGUST 25, 7.30PM
• SYDNEY | SATURDAY AUGUST 27, 2PM
• MELBOURNE | TUESDAY AUGUST 30, 7PM
• COFFS HARBOUR | THURSDAY SEPEMBER 1, 8PM
• MELBOURNE | SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 3, 8PM
• ADELAIDE | TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 6, 8PM
• PERTH | THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 8, 7.30PM