String quartet writing occupied Bartok’s mind throughout his life, from his teens to his last few years, and the importance of this cycle of 6 quartets cannot be underestimated.
Steering a course away from the 2nd Viennese school, Bartok created an entirely new sound world, which in turn inspired a whole new generation of composers. The music is by turns deeply expressive and hugely dynamic, flavoured with strong dissonance, and by the folk music that he collected from his native Hungary and beyond.
We very much look forward to performing complete cycles of these works throughout 2018!
Cycles
We will be performing complete cycles in the following venues:
Kings Place, London – Macro/Micro
In this three-part series , we will interleave 2 quartets by Bartok, with a jewel-like miniature by his living compatriot, Gyorgy Kurtag.
19th Sept – 7.30pm
Bartok – Quartets 1 & 3
Kurtag – Six moments musicaux
17th Oct – 7.30pm
Bartok Quartets 4 & 5
Kurtag – Officium breve
7th Nov – 7.30pm
Bartok – Quartets 2 & 6
Kurtag – Hommage a Mihaly Andras
https://www.kingsplace.co.uk/whats-on/contemporary/macro-micro/
Syde Manor, Gloucestershire – Bartok with Beethoven
24th Feb – 2.30pm
Bartok Quartets 1 & 2
Beethoven Quartet op.95 “serioso”
9th June – 5pm
Bartok Quartets 3 & 4
Beethoven op.59 no.2
4th Nov – 2.30pm
Bartok Quartets 5 & 6
Beethoven op.18 no.4
With concert introductions by BBC Radio 3’s Stephen Johnson
For tickets please email Penny – wright.pennyj@gmail.com
Holywell Music Room – Oxford
We will include a Bartok Quartet in each of 6 concerts spread through the year, as part of the Oxford Coffee Concert series.
https://www.coffeeconcerts.com
Concert 1
4th Feb – 11.15am
Bartok Quartet no.1 and Haydn op.20 no.4
Concert 2
25th Feb – 11.15am
Bartok Quartet no.2 and Dvorak ‘American’ Quartet
Concert 3
22nd April – 11.15am
Bartok Quartet no.4
(More dates to follow shortly!)
Bartok around the country!
18th Jan – 7.30pm – Cheltenham Music Society
Haydn – ‘Sunrise’, Bartók – String Quartet no.1,
Simon Rowland-Jones – World Premiere, Mendelssohn – Op.80
http://www.cheltmusicsoc.co.uk
Shropshire Music Trust – Bartok mini-series
18th March – 3pm – Lion Hotel – Shrewsbury
Bartok Quartet 1, Haydn Quartet op.103, Brahms Clarinet Quintet
(With Julian Bliss)
Pre concert talk 2.15pm:
‘Bartok – a life through the string quartets’.
http://www.shropshiremusictrust.co.uk/carducci-string-quartet-i/4594008287
29th April – 3pm – Lion Hotel – Shrewsbury
Bartok Quartet 4, Haydn Quartet op.20 no.4, Mendelssohn op.80
http://www.shropshiremusictrust.co.uk/carducci-stringquartet-ii/4594008445
13th May – 3pm – Lion Hotel – Shrewsbury
Bartok Quartet 2, Haydn Quartet op.50 no.2, Dvorak ‘American’
http://www.shropshiremusictrust.co.uk/carducci-string-quartet-iii/4594008457