Two Italian composers famed for their operas arerepresented in this programme by their stringquartets – Donizetti by one of the many pieces hewrote in his youth for quartet meetings in his nativeBergamo, and Verdi by the lone Quartet he composedin his 60th year, with its fugal finale looking ahead toFalstaff.

The recital is completed by a Nash Ensemble speciality,Mozart’s mellow Quintet for clarinet and strings.