VCHpresents: Chamber The Stradivari Quartet; The Pavel Haas Quartet
VCHPRESENTS: CHAMBER THE STRADIVARI QUARTET; THE PAVEL HAAS QUARTET
Two of today’s top string quartets perform in the Victoria Concert Hall as part of the SSO’s VCHpresents: Chamber series this spring. In April, the brilliant Stradivari Quartet brings two programmes of Classical and Romantic works; then in May the top-flight Pavel Haas Quartet delves into Beethoven’s magnificent "Great Fugue" for String Quartet.
On 17 April the Stradivari Quartet performs works by Strauss and Enescu before being joined by musicians from the SSO for a rare performance of Klaus Simon’s chamber arrangement of Mahler’s Symphony No. 1.
Two days later, on 19 April – at the earlier time of 4pm – the musicians turn to Beethoven, performing two of his great string quartets: No. 11 in F minor, Op. 95 (“Serioso”) and No. 8 in E minor, Op. 59 No. 2. The concert closes with a contrasting work: Tan Dun’s Eight Colors for String Quartet.
The following month, on 29 May, the Pavel Haas Quartet brings a programme of Dvořák, Schulhoff and Beethoven to the Victoria Concert Hall. The climax of the concert is one of Beethoven’s most famous works for string quartet: his String Quartet No. 13 in B-flat major, Op. 130, performed in its original form with the monumental “Great Fugue” (Op. 133) to close. The great Russian composer Stravinsky said of the fugue ‘[it is] an absolutely contemporary piece of music that will be contemporary forever.”
Since it was formed in 2007, the Stradivari Quartet has built up an enviable international reputation for itself both through its concerts and with its trademark, StradivariFESTEN. Throughout all of this it has remained in close contact with its audiences, who often follow the players as a loyal and enthusiastic fan base, enjoying not only the concerts themselves but all the attendant action. The result is an enthusiasm for music and culture on the very highest level in Zurich, Hamburg, Cremona and many other places.
The Pavel Haas Quartet was founded in 2002 by the violinist Veronika Jarůšková and the violist Pavel Nikl, who was a member of the ensemble until 2016, when he left due to family reasons. Following their victory in the Prague Spring Festival Competition and Premio Paolo Borciani in Reggio Emilia, Italy in 2005, the Pavel Haas Quartet soon established themselves as one of the world’s most exciting contemporary chamber ensembles. Performing at the most renowned concert venues around the globe, the PHQ have made numerous critically acclaimed recordings, which have received many prestigious awards. The ensemble members studied with Milan Škampa, the legendary violist of the Smetana Quartet.
[Cancelled] The Stradivari Quartet Plays Mahler
Xiaoming Wang, violin / Sebastian Bohren, violin / Lech Antonio Uszynski, viola / Maja Weber, cello / Musicians of the SSO
Fri / 17 Apr 20 / 7.30pm
Victoria Concert Hall
One Chinese, two Swiss and a Polish - the cosmopolitan Stradivari Quartet has traversed the world with its thought-provoking programmes. Their first concert in the VCHpresents Chamber series is centred around the chamber version of Mahler’s First Symphony, in collaboration with musicians of the SSO.
FeaturingXiaoming Wang, violin / Sebastian Bohren, violin / Lech Antonio Uszynski, viola / Maja Weber, cello / Musicians of the SSO
ProgrammeCapriccio, Op. 85 | Johann Strauss (Strauss) |
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Romanian Rhapsody in A major, Op. 11 No. 1 for String Quintet and Piano | George Enescu (Enescu) |
Symphony No. 1 in D major for Chamber Orchestra | Gustav Mahler (Mahler) |
[Cancelled] The Stradivari Quartet Plays Beethoven
Xiaoming Wang, violin / Sebastian Bohren, violin / Lech Antonio Uszynski, viola / Maja Weber, cello
Sun / 19 Apr 20 / 4.00pm
Victoria Concert Hall
To mark the 250th anniversary of the birth of Beethoven, the Stradivari Quartet presents two of the celebrated German composer’s string quartets. No. 11, nicknamed “Serioso”, was never intended for public performance; like No. 8, it was simply so ahead of its time. Surrounded by these classics is Eight Colors by the prolific contemporary Chinese composer, Tan Dun, eight pieces of concentrated drama and ritual.
FeaturingXiaoming Wang, violin / Sebastian Bohren, violin / Lech Antonio Uszynski, viola / Maja Weber, cello
ProgrammeString Quartet No. 11 in F minor, Op. 95 "Serioso" | Ludwig van Beethoven (Beethoven) |
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Eight Colors for String Quartet | Tan Dun |
String Quartet No. 8 in E minor, Op. 59 No. 2 | Ludwig van Beethoven (Beethoven) |
[Cancelled] The Pavel Haas Quartet - The Great Fugue | VCHpresents
Veronika Jarůšková, violin / Marek Zwiebel, violin / Jiří Kabát, viola / Peter Jarůšek, cello
Fri / 29 May 20 / 7.30pm
Victoria Concert Hall
Winner of six Gramophone Awards, the much-lauded Pavel Haas Quartet is named after the Czech composer Pavel Haas (1899–1944). Their reputation for championing the music – both familiar and unfamiliar – of their homeland is showcased in this programme of Dvořák’s popular American String Quartet and the work of the early 20th century Erwin Schulhoff. The concert ends with the titanic Op. 130 Quartet by Beethoven, one of his final works. The PHQ perform it in its original version with the famous Grosse Fuge or “Great Fugue”, which Igor Stravinsky called "an absolutely contemporary piece of music that will be contemporary forever."
Their account of the American Quartet belongs alongside the greatest performances on disc. In this repertoire, they are simply matchless today. (THE SUNDAY TIMES)
Their sound is, as ever, immediately recognisable – partly due to the sheer richness of timbre but also the sense of four personalities at play… At times it is hard to believe you are in the presence of only four players, so intense is the sound. (GRAMOPHONE)
FeaturingVeronika Jarůšková, violin / Marek Zwiebel, violin / Jiří Kabát, viola / Peter Jarůšek, cello
ProgrammeString Quartet No. 1 | Erwin Schulhoff (Schulhoff) |
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String Quartet No. 12 in F major, Op. 96 "American" | Antonín Dvořák (Dvořák) |
String Quartet No. 13 in B-flat major, Op. 130 | Ludwig van Beethoven (Beethoven) |
Great Fugue, Op. 133 | Ludwig van Beethoven (Beethoven) |
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