Carducci Quartet

Carducci Quartet play Town Hall - Concert Hall on Thursday 17 June 2027. They're an award-winning string quartet, and The Strad once described them as presenting 'a masterclass in unanimity of musical purpose, in which severity could melt seamlessly into charm, and drama into geniality'. They're widely regarded as one of the most accomplished and versatile ensembles working today.

The programme they're bringing to Reading mixes the well-known with something entirely new. There's Haydn's Quartet in D 'The Frog' and Mendelssohn's String Quartet Op.44 No.1, alongside Irish Roots, a project the quartet has been developing. That one is the real talking point of the night: it's a collection of new works commissioned by the quartet, all inspired by traditional Irish melodies and reimagined for four strings. The whole thing is built around exploring the resonance of Ireland's folk heritage through the lens of the string quartet, so you'll hear those old tunes translated into a completely different musical language.

Before the concert starts, there's a pre-concert talk by Chris de Souza to open the evening, which should give you a bit of context to hold onto before the music kicks in. The concert itself takes place at the Town Hall - Concert Hall on Blagrave Street, RG1 1QH.

Tickets are £22, £19, and £14, with under-18s and students getting in for £7. Schools pay £7 per head with one in ten free, and groups of ten or more get 20% off.