Oxford Coffee Concerts: Kleio String Quartet

Kleio String Quartet are playing at the Holywell Music Room on Sunday 1 November, part of the Oxford Coffee Concerts series. It's a morning slot, starting at 11.15am, so it's more of a Sunday brunch thing than a night out.

They've put together a programme that pairs two string quartets from very different corners of the map. The first is Haydn's String Quartet in C major, op. 74 no. 1, Hob. III:72, a piece from the late period of the man who practically invented the form. The second is Nielsen's String Quartet no. 1 in G Minor, op. 13, the early work of the Danish composer Carl Nielsen. One's a classic of the Austro-German tradition, the other a bit of Nordic ground—two distinct ways of writing for four strings in one sitting.

The venue is the Holywell Music Room, which holds the title of the oldest purpose-built concert hall in Europe. It's been the home of the Coffee Concerts since the series started back in 1986, and the name isn't just for show: coffee is available at a local pub before each performance, so you can grab a drink and a chat before taking your seat. It's a Sunday morning regular, with concerts running every week.

On the practical side, admission is free for children aged 5 to 10 when they're accompanied by an adult, though the series can't admit children under 5. The music starts at 11.15am on 1 November.