Felix & Fanny in concert – RPS Enterprise Fund
A concert version of the play by Myla Lichtman-Fields
World Premiere
We are thrilled to be premiering this new work at the Barbican on November 24th 2022. The music and words programme shines a spotlight on the complex relationship between the Mendelssohn siblings and provides an insight into the struggles of a female musician in the C19th.
Fanny’s music is placed firmly centre stage, as letters between the siblings, adapted into a two-person play by Maya Lichtman-Fields, interweave the movements of her expressive String Quartet and a selection from her ground-breaking Das Jahr (arranged especially for the project by Emma Denton).
https://www.barbican.org.uk/whats-on/2022/event/carducci-quartet-fanny-and-felix
Royal Philharmonic Society Enterprise Fund in association with Harriet’s Trust.
During the pandemic, Emma had time to fulfil a long term dream of hers; to devise a music and words programme based on Shostakovich’s string quartets. The Carducci Quartet were thrilled to premiere the resulting ‘Shostakovich: Life, Letters & Friendship’ at the Barbican last autumn with the incredible actor and director Samuel West.
The quartet were also thrilled to be recipients of the RPS Enterprise Fund which enabled them to expand on the music and words programme and to bring the Felix and Fanny project to fruition.
Collaborations
The pandemic led us to connect digitally with audiences and fellow musicians alike. We formed some wonderful and ‘remote’ collaborations:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GmLN5G3eyuM
and connected with the incredible playwright/screenwriter, Myla Lichtman-Fields. Her vision and generosity in reworking her play ‘Felix & Fanny’ for this project enabled it to come to fruition and we can’t wait to finally meet her in person at the premiere!