PROGRAMME
Sunday, 11 May, 3.00pm Concord College, Acton Burnell
CARDUCCI STRING QUARTET
Spring Chamber Series III
Matthew Denton - violin
Michelle Fleming - violin
Eoin Schmidt-Martin - viola
Emma Denton - cello
Quartet Op.76 No.2 ‘Fifths’ -- Haydn
Quartet No.2 in A minor -- Vaughan Williams
Quartet in C major Op 59 No. 3 ‘Razumovsky’ -- Beethoven
In association with Concord College
After the Concert please stay and Meet the Carducci over refreshments on the lawns (or the foyer if wet)
String Quartet Op.76 No.2 ‘Fifths’ -- Haydn (1732-1809).
Allegro; Andante o piu tosto allegretto; Menuet; Finale - Vivace assai
Haydn wrote some 83 string quartets over a period of 40 years, just as remarkable in quality as in quantity. Under the employment of the Esterhazy family, Haydn lived at their palace in Austro-Hungary away from the culture centre of Vienna, “I was cut off from the world. There was no one near to torment me or make me doubt myself, and so I had to become original.”
This Quartet Op.76 No.2 takes its nickname from the opening theme of repeated falling fifths, a motif that is passed around all the instruments. The opening stormy Allegro in the key of D minor is followed by an Andante in D major. The Siciliano-like theme in the first violin is accompanied by pizzicato strumming and provides the basis for a series of ornate variations.
The third movement is an extraordinary canon for two voices, with the violins pitted against the viola and cello and is also known as the Hexenmenuett (witches minuet). The last movement opens in the minor with the spirit of a Hungarian folk dance and concludes joyously in the major.
String Quartet No.2 in A min -- Vaughan Williams (1872 -1958)
Prelude: Allegro Appassionato; Romance: Largo; Scherzo:Allegro; Epilogue: Andante sostenuto
The String Quartet in A minor (‘For Jean on Her Birthday’) was written in 1942/43 and dedicated to Jean Stewart, violist of the Menges Quartet, which gave the first performance at a war-time National Gallery concert in October 1944.
It is the viola, generally prominent throughout, that provides an emphatic opening to the first movement, proposing material that provides the basis of much that follows. The viola starts the second movement Romance, each instrumental line marked ‘senza vibrato’ in music of absolute tranquility, leading to a chorale-like passage and eventually to a dynamic climax. The viola ends the movement and opens the Scherzo with a theme music from the film “The 49th Parallel”, against the muted tremolo figuration of the other instruments.
The Epilogue, subtitle ‘Greetings from Joan to Jean’ and again opened by the viola, uses material intended originally for a proposed film on Joan of Arc, hence the addition to the title. It is a movement of characteristically beautiful serenity.
Quartet in C maj Op.59No.3 ‘Razumovsky’ -- Beethoven (1770-1827)
Introduzione - Andante con moto; Allegro vivace; Andante con moto quasi allegretto’, Menuetto (Grazioso); Allegro molto
Beethoven’s ninth quartet is the last of the three which appeared in 1809, commissioned by and dedicated to his friend and patron, Count Razumovsky, the Russian ambassador in Vienna. Throughout the set, and particularly in this one in C major, one cannot deny the feeling that Beethoven’s objective now approaches symphonic proportions - that the orchestral effects he seeks will stretch the slender resources of his four instruments to the limit.
Doubtless this was one of the factors responsible for the adverse criticism which greeted the quartets on their first appearance. But in time they were recognised as “nothing short of miracles”. This one has been described as “one of those works that most perfectly reveal the indomitable spirit of the Master, the courage of a man who did not shrink from probing the very depths of his being, and finding there only darkness and despair, could yet greet his destiny with a cry of defiance”.
Introductory chords of indeterminate harmony lead to the graceful Allegro vivace, the first two notes of which are to assume great importance. Very quickly we are plunged into the triumphant principal statement. On this, with the contrasting serenity of a second theme, the movement is built on classical lines.
The Andante is a lament, its lengthy song-like phrase above the heavy pizzicato of the cello, creating a mood of desolate melancholy. Though its bitterness will be briefly relieved by a second theme which comes with remembered happiness, profound sorrow remains. Following that, we might have expected a brilliant Scherzo, but for Beethoven that would have been incongruous. Instead we have the grace arid charm of a Menuetto which owes something to the style of Haydn.
With the finale comes the “cry of defiance” - a tremendous fugue. This has nothing in common with the formal beauty of Bach. On the contrary, it is now a form in which Beethoven reveals his passionate strength and power. At this very point in his sketch book he has scrawled; “Never again need you feel ashamed of your deafness, nor others wonder at it. Can anything in the world prevent you from expressing your soul in music”
CARDUCCI STRING QUARTET
Prize winners in no less than 7 International Chamber Music Competitions, the Carducci Quartet has quickly become recognised as one of Europe’s top young string quartets. Prizes include 1st prize at the 2004 Kuhmo International Chamber Music Competition in Finland, and other major awards at the Bordeaux, London, Osaka and ‘Charles Hennen’ competitions. Most recently they won the 2007 Concert Artists Guild International Competition in the USA. The Strad has described the Quartet as “playing with constant variety, a masterclass in unanimity of musical purpose.”
Graduates of the top music conservatoires in Britain and Ireland, they have studied with members of the Amadeus, Chilingirian, Takacs and Vanbrugh quartets and are the current Richard Carne Junior Fellows at Trinity College of Music. As part of the ProQuartet professional training programme in France they have studied with Gyorgy Kurtag, Valentin Erben of the Alban Berg Quartet and Paul Katz.
Following on from their critically acclaimed 2006 Purcell Room and Wigmore Hall debuts for the Park Lane Group, the quartet have been invited to perform at numerous contemporary music festivals and societies, including The “Second Glance” Festival in London, and the Cheltenham Contemporary Music Society.
They recently established their own record label ‘Carducci Classics’, launched with a CD of Haydn String Quartets. A further three discs featuring C20th works by G. Whettam, J. Horovitz and B. Boydell will follow by the end of the year. The Carduccis have also recorded (Vivaldi and Piazzolla) with the Katona Twins Guitar Duo for Channel Classics.
Tours abroad have taken the quartet to France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Belgium, Spain and Italy, where after performing numerous concerts at the Castagnetto-Carducci Festival, the quartet adopted the name “Carducci” with the blessing of the Mayor.
Highlights last season included a residency at Aldeburgh, the launch of their own festival in Highnam (Gloucestershire) and performances in the Verbier, Kilkenny, Three Choirs, Exeter and Kings Lynn festivals. Future projects include further performances at the Wigmore Hall and tours in Portugal and Japan.
The quartet’s educational work continues with performances for school children sponsored by the Cavatina Chamber Music Trust and numerous workshops in Ireland. They also run their own music courses in France for young musicians and have a strong link with the Gloucester Academy of Music. They were recently appointed ‘Quartet in Residence’ at the Cork School of Music in Ireland.
Last Updated : 15/05/2008