2016-2017 Season - Chamber Music
Tuesday 18 October at 7.30pm
1.Henschel Quartet
Mozart - Quartet in B flat major K589
Schulhoff - Five Pieces for String Quartet
Beethoven - Quartet in C sharp minor op.131
The Henschel Quartet has been contributing to the world of chamber music for over 20 years. As young players they won a series of international competitions, and they now have an international reputation. In recent years their renown has brought them many prestigious invitations, including The Royal Palace of Madrid and the Vatican.
“If you ever get the opportunity to hear the Henschel Quartet in recital take it. String quartet playing rarely gets any better than this” Michael Cookson, Seen and Heard International.
Single ticket price: £23 and £18
Thursday 17 November at 7.30pm
2. Van Kuijk quartet
Kurtág - 6 Moments Musicaux op.44
Ravel - Quartet in F major op.35
Beethoven - Quartet in E flat major op.127
Once again we welcome the quartet that won the Wigmore Hall International String Quartet Competition. ‘Style, energy, and a sense of risk ……. These four young Frenchmen made the music smile, and would have made Beethoven do the same’, noted the Observer after the Quatuor Van Kuijk emerged as winners in March 2015. This was the latest in a string of successes that mark the rapid rise of this group which formed only in 2012.
Single ticket price: £23 and £18
Wednesday 7 December at 7.30pm
3. Clare Hammond (piano)
Bach - Toccata in D minor, BWV 913
Beethoven - Sonata no. 8 in C minor op.13
Dutilleux - Au gré des ondes
Medtner - Sonata Romantica, op. 53
Boulanger - D'un Vieux Jardin and D'un Jardin Clair
Stravinsky - Petrushka Suite
Clare Hammond is recognised for the virtuosity and authority of her performances The Guardian described her as a “dazzling athlete” following her Barbican debut in 2015, while in 2014 she gave debut performances at 7 festivals across Europe, including the ‘Chopin and his Europe Festival’ in Warsaw, world premieres of works by 10 composers, and three broadcasts for BBC Radio. Hammond’s latest disc release, ‘Etude’, has received unanimous critical praise for its “unfaltering bravura and conviction” (Gramophone). It was selected as Critic’s Choice by Classical Music Magazine and the BBC Music Magazine stated that “this array of wizardry is not for the faint hearted”. ‘Etude’, and Hammond’s previous disc of music by Andrzej and Roxanna Panufnik, ‘Reflections’, have been featured on BBC Radio 3’s ‘In Tune’ and ‘CD Review’, and on radio in Switzerland, Sweden, the Netherlands, the US and Canada
Single ticket price: £20 and £15
Wednesday 11 January at 7.30pm
4. Juliette Bausor (Flute) and
Alasdair Beatson (piano)
Fauré - Fantasie op.79
Reinecke - Sonata op.167 'Undine'
Widor - Suite op.34
J.S Bach - Sonata in E major BWV1035
Debussy - Syrinx
Franck - Sonata in A major
Juliette Bausor is principal flute with both Royal Northern Sinfonia and London Mozart Players, and frequently appears as guest principal flute with orchestras all over Britain.In 2014 Juliette was selected by the European Concert Hall Organisation as an ECHO ‘Rising Star’.
Pianist Alasdair Beatson is highly regarded as a distinctive and vibrant musician. Recent and forthcoming highlights include a sixth solo Wigmore Recital, performances of the complete Beethoven cello sonatas with Pieter Wispelwey, and collaborations with such artists as Adrian Brendel, Philippe Graffin, Erich Höbarth, the Nash Ensemble and the Doric String Quartet.
Single ticket price: £20 and £15
Tuesday 21 February at 7.30pm
5. Trio Dali
Beethoven - Piano Trio in E flat major op.1 no.1
Smalley - Piano Trio
Mendelssohn - Piano Trio no.2 in C minor op.66
Born by strong ties of friendship and passion for chamber music repertoire, Trio Dali was formed in 2006 and has attracted international attention by winning major prizes in international competitions in Osaka (First Prize and Gold Medal), Frankfurt (First Prize), New York and Vienna. They currently hold a residency at the Singer-Polignac Foundation in Paris, and were previously Leverhulme Fellows at the Royal Academy of Music. Critics have compared them to the great Beaux Arts Trio.
“I hereby pronounce the Trio Dali’s performances of Schubert’s two great piano trios the most detailed, the most revealing, and the best I’ve ever heard—in a word, perfect. “ Fanfare magazine
Single ticket price: £23 and £18
Thursday 23 March at 7.30pm
6. Brodsky Quartet
Schubert - Quartettsatz in C minor D703
Webern - Six Bagatelles
Zemlinsky - String Quartet no.4 op.25
Beethoven - String Quartet in C major op.59 no.3
Since forming in 1972, the Brodsky Quartet have performed over 3,000 concerts on the major stages of the world and have released more than 60 recordings. A natural curiosity and an insatiable desire to explore has propelled the group in a number of artistic directions and continues to ensure them not only a prominent presence on the international chamber music scene, but also a rich and varied musical existence.
“The Brodsky’s ability to communicate on so many levels - humanity and virtuosity are all part of the essential integrity of their approach” Rian Evans, The Guardian
Single ticket price: £25 and £20
Thursday 20 April at 7.30pm
7. Michael Petrov (cello) and
Alexander Ullman (piano)
Prokofiev - Cello Sonata in C op.119
Janáček - Pohádka (Fairy Tale)
Carter - Figment for Solo Cello (1994)
Chopin - Cello Sonata in G minor, op.65
Michael Petrov studied at the Yehudi Menuhin School and at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama with Louise Hopkins, winning the Gold Medal in 2014. He was selected by YCAT in 2013.
Alexander Ullman studied at the Purcell School, the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia with Leon Fleisher, Ignat Solzhenitsyn and Robert McDonald, and is currently at the Royal College of Music with Dmitri Alexeev and Ian Jones. In 2011 he won 1st Prize at the Liszt Competition in Budapest and in 2014 was selected by YCAT.
