On August 18, 2025, the Takács Quartet—Edward Dusinberre and Harumi Rhodes (violins), Richard O’Neill (viola), András Fejér (cello)—graced Sydney’s City Recital Hall, marking Musica Viva’s 80th birthday of bringing world-class classical artists to Australia. Touring capital cities through August, this performance was a fitting tribute. Founded in 1975 at Budapest’s Franz Liszt Academy and now US-based, the Takács Quartet showcased their mastery of Classical, Romantic, and contemporary repertoires.
Opening with Haydn’s String Quartet in G Minor, Op. 74 No. 3 (“The Rider”), they highlighted Haydn’s standardized quartet structure—sonata-form first movement, lyrical slow movement, and minuet—emphasizing conversational interplay and balanced themes. Cathy Milliken’s Sonnet of an Emigrant (2025), commissioned by Musica Viva, followed. With the Berlin-based Australian composer in attendance, her sister, actress Angie Milliken, recited Bertolt Brecht’s fragmented poems in English and German, creating a call-and-response. The quartet wove ambient, atmospheric layers, guiding listeners through exile’s emotional journey.
Beethoven’s String Quartet in C Major, Op. 59 No. 3 (“Razumovsky”) showcased his reinvention of Haydn’s form. A slow cello solo opened, foreshadowing intensity. The playful second movement referenced Haydn’s minuets, while the expressive third slowed, and the virtuosic fourth, with Russian folk melodies, drove a thrilling conclusion, demanding the quartet’s seasoned skill.
The encore, Ravel’s String Quartet in F Major’s second movement, chased Beethoven’s intensity with lively pizzicato, vibrant string techniques, and colourful movement, lifting the audience. Happy 80th, Musica Viva!
Photography for Takács Quartet with Angie Milliken (c) Cameron Jamieson
