Concert 1

3:00pm

19 October 2025

Asaka String Quartet

Hailing from China, Hong Kong and Scotland, Asaka is a prizewinning ensemble formed in 2021 at the Royal Academy of Music in London. They were 2023 Tunnell Trust prize-winners and embarked on a tour of Scotland earlier this year. They are currently Quartet-in-Residence at Oxford’s Wolfson College and were Britten-Pears Young Artists for 2024–25. The quartet has made several festival appearances, and has performed at prestigious venues across the UK.

As close friends, growing up on opposite sides of the world in contrasting cultures, they have a keen interest in learning and experiencing new things, which lead them to enjoy discovering and sharing under-represented music. Through creative and innovative programmes, they invite audiences to discover new repertoire from a fresh perspective.

‘Tjønneblomen’  Danish String Quartet

String Quartet No.17 in B-flat major ‘The Hunt’ (K. 458)  W A Mozart
 Allegro vivace assai
 Menuetto and Trio. Moderato
 Adagio
 Allegro assai

from ‘Cypresses’ (B. 152)  Antonin Dvorak
 I – Moderato – I Know that My Love to Thee
 II – Allegro ma non troppo – Death Reigns in Many a Human Breast
 IX – Moderato – Thou only, Dear one
 XI – Allegro scherzando – Nature Lies Peaceful in Slumber and Dreaming

I N T E R V A L

from Chinese Folk Songs and Tone Poems  Zhou Long
 No.1 – Lan Hua
 No.2 – Driving the Mule Team
 No.4 – Jasmine Flower
 No.5 – A Horseherd’s Mountain Song
 No.7 – A Single Bamboo Can Easily Bend

String Quartet in G minor, Op.10  Claude Debussy
 Animé et très décidé
 Assez vif et bien rythmé
 Andantino, doucement expressif
 Très modéré – En animant peu à peu – Très mouvementé et avec passion