Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Chamber Music in Liverpool Rodewald Concert Series 2010-2011 Season
Concert Society
St George’s Hall Concert Room Box Office 0151 709 3789 www.liverpoolphil.com Photo - Quator Ebène Julien Mignot photographer
Chamber Music In Liverpool Rodewald Concert Series
Simón Bolívar Quartet Saturday 11 September 7.30pm
The Rodewald Concert Series, presented by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, features performances by some of the world’s finest string quartets, vocalists and recital artists. Concerts take place in the splendid setting of St. George’s Hall Concert Room.
Bach Contrapunto No.1 ‘The Art of Fugue’
Considered by many to be the best room in the building, the Concert Room was also known as the Golden Concert Room and was regularly host to Charles Dickens who held many of his readings there. This 480-set venue features elegant decoration in white, honey, and cream and a cast iron ‘wickerwork’ balcony supported by female figures known as caryatids. A superb crystal chandelier hangs in the middle of the room while Ravenhead glass mirrors situated at the back of the state create stunning reflections.
M.M.Ponce Estrellita (arr.Alvaro Bitran)
Concert Society
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Beethoven String Quartet in B flat major Op. 133 ‘Grosse Fuge’
Bach Contrapunto No.9 ‘The Art of Fugue’ Shostakovich String Quartet No.8 Rodolfo Halffter ‘8 Tientos’ Cuarteto Revueltas (Tiento No.5)
‘Who would have thought that a youth orchestra from Venezuela would be the hottest ticket in town?’ The Daily Telegraph
Ever since the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra took the 2007 Proms by storm, the whole musical world has been talking about El Sistema – the revolutionary social programme that’s turned Venezuelan slum children into some of the most electrifying classical musicians in the world today, and the inspiration for the Phil’s own In Harmony programme in West Everton. The Simón Bolívar Quartet is the latest world-class ensemble to emerge from El Sistema, now making its Liverpool debut with a wonderfully varied programme including Beethoven’s deeply moving ‘Grosse Fuge’ and the exuberant Tiento No.5 by Spanish composer Rodolfo Halffter. Inspirational. Tickets £20
Simon Bolivar Quartet Nohely Oliveros photographer
Pavel Haas Quartet Friday 22 October 7.30pm
Jonathan Biss piano Tuesday 5 October 7.30pm
Beethoven Six Bagatelles Op.126 Mozart Adagio in B minor, K.540 Beethoven Piano Sonata No.28 in A major, Op.101 Janác˘ek Piano Sonata Beethoven Piano Sonata No.23 in F minor, Op.57 ‘Appassionata’
‘Biss has all the technique required, yet he unfailingly puts the composer first... there is nothing showy about his piano-playing; everything feels completely natural, innately musical, tightly controlled and deeply felt.’ BBC Music Magazine
Beethoven String Trio in C minor Op.9 No.3 Debussy String Quartet Dvor˘ák String Quartet Op.96 ‘American’
Jonathan Biss is that rarest of things; a young virtuoso pianist who plays with both his head and his heart. This typically thoughtful programme will showcase every side of his artistry, from Mozart to Janác˘ek – and in Biss’s hands, even Beethoven’s popular ‘Appassionata’ sonata should sound freshly-minted. Tickets £20
Jonathan Biss piano Benjamin Ealovega photographer
Pavel Haas Quartet
‘Take note: this is one of the most polished and musically exciting young string quartets in the world today.’ Washington Post
It might seem bold to describe a group that was founded in 2002 as a ‘legend’ – even one that plays with the freshness and fire of the Prague-based Pavel Haas Quartet. But since their breathtaking debut recording in 2006, the Pavel Haas Quartet have staked their claim as the heirs-apparent to the great Central European string quartet tradition. Opening with Beethoven’s brooding C minor String Trio, their Liverpool programme also offers their streamlined but full-blooded’ take on Debussy’s ardent early String Quartet. And when it comes to Dvor˘ák’s beloved ‘American’ quartet, it’s safe to say that no quartet today plays Czech music with more authenticity – or conviction. Tickets £20
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Y ED IT IT IL M B LI ILA A AV
Tasmin Little violin John Lenehan piano Wednesday 10 November 7.30pm Partners in Time Kreisler Praeludium and Allegro Bach Violin Sonata in E major BWV 1016 Mozart Violin Sonata in C major K.296 Grieg Sonata No. 2 in G major Op.13 Tchaikovsky Melodie Bartók Romanian Folk Dances
‘It’s always a joy to witness an artist with this kind of life-spark, who really connects with the music, with her instrument, with listeners. The audience’s response to her was thunderous.’ Seattle Times
Tasmin Little has long been a favourite with Liverpool audiences; but with this mouthwatering recital – inspired by her critically acclaimed recent album Partners in Time – she’s sure to make even more new friends. Along with her regular duet-partner John Lenehan, Little brings her glorious tone and oldschool panache to a programme that spans the whole shared history of the violin and piano, from Bach to Bartók – with some unexpected delights along the way. Tickets £20
Tasmin Little violin Melanie WInning photographer
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The Katona Twins guitars Tuesday 14 December 7.30pm
Rossini (arr. Katona) Overture, ‘Barber of Seville’ Bach (arr. Katona) English Suite No.3 (BWV 808) Rodrigo Tonadilla Scarlatti (arr. Katona) Three Sonatas Bizet (arr. Katona) Excerpts from the ‘Carmen Suite’ Piazzolla Otono Porteno
Twin brothers Peter and Zoltán Katona were born in Hungary, trained in Germany and live in Liverpool. But their spectacular brand of guitar playing has made a splash around the world! From orchestral favourites in jaw-dropping arrangements to contemporary classics of the guitar repertoire, there’s no limit to what the Katonas can do with their guitars - and they deliver it all with irresistible showmanship. Join them in their adopted home town for an evening of Bach, Rodrigo, Bizet, Scarlatti and Piazzolla, and witness the phenomenon for yourself. Tickets £20
The Katona Twins Peter Goodbody photographer
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Wolfgang Holzmair baritone Russell Ryan piano Friday 21 January 7.30pm
Dichterlieben Killmayer Belsazar; Lachner Im Mai; Meyerbeer Die Rose, die Lilie, die Taube; Wolf Wenn ich in deine Augen Seh’; Kinkel Der Kuss; Liszt Im Rhein, im heiligen Strome; Ives Ich grolle nicht; Hensel Verlust; Grieg Hörlich das Liedchen klingen; Hoven Eine alte Geschichte; Franz Am leuchtenden Sommermorgen; Loewe Ich hab’ im Traum geweinet; Mendelssohn Allnächtlich im Traume seh’ ich dich; von Suppé Aus alten Märchen; Schumann Belsazar Schumann Dichterliebe Op.48
Fauré Piano Quartet Saturday 26 February 7.30pm ‘...the Austrian baritone,Wolfgang Holzmair, whose intimate and direct singing seems the kind of thing you might have heard in a 19th century drawing room: communicative, straightforward, delicately nuanced.’ New York Times
Mahler Piano Quartet (in one movement) in A minor Mozart Piano Quartet in G minor K.478 Mozart Piano Quartet in E flat major K.493
Wolfgang Holzmair is the consummate lieder-singer, and Schumann’s Dichterliebe is the consummate romantic song-cycle. Tonight, Holzmair brings all his vocal sensitivity to Schumann’s masterpiece. But first he offers us something rather different: settings of Heine’s poetry by composers as diverse as Charles Ives and Fanny Mendelssohn, compiled by Holzmair to form a sort of alternative Dichterliebe. A thought-provoking and deeply moving evening.
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Martha Argerich
Good things come in twos, and Mozart’s sublime Piano Quartets make for a near-perfect evening of chamber music. One is graceful, sunny and gloriously expansive, the other is dark, impassioned and deeply personal. Together they add up to a complete portrait of Mozart as both man and artist. Mahler’s rarely-heard Piano Quartet, meanwhile, may be a bit smaller than his epic symphonies – but its youthful ambition aims every bit as high! Tickets £20
Tickets £25 Wolfgang Holzmair baritone Gabriele Brandenstein photographer
‘Anyone who heard the Fauré Piano Quartet perform will want to hear it again’
Fauré Piano Quartet
Paul Lewis piano Complete Schubert Cycle I Tuesday 8 March 7.30pm Schubert Sonata for Piano No.15 in C major, D840 Drei Klavierstücke D946 Sonata for Piano No.17 in D major, D850
‘Already he can be ranked with such major interpreters as Kempf, Serkin or Arrau’ Hi-Fi News
When Paul Lewis played a series of Schubert recitals at the Wigmore Hall, in 2001, Alfred Brendel led the standing ovation. Now, after completing a revelatory recorded cycle of Beethoven sonatas, this great Liverpudlian pianist– still only 37! returns to his first love. Over eight concerts between now and 2012, Lewis will perform all Schubert’s solo piano music and Schubert’s Song Cycles with the great singer Mark Padmore. Be there at the start of an extraordinary journey. Tickets £25
Paul Lewis piano Jack Liebeck photographer
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Fine Arts Quartet Saturday 19 March 7.30pm
Beethoven String Quartet Op.18, No.1 Glass String Quartet No.2 ‘Company’ (1983) Grieg String Quartet in G minor, Op.27
Paul Lewis piano Complete Schubert Cycle II Friday 8 April 7.30pm ‘This ensemble exudes mature, seasoned musicianship. Together for many years, its members do not try to showboat or emote; they focus on the music...’ The Washington Post
After six decades as an institution in the business, it’s no surprise that the Fine Arts Quartet has been described as ‘one of the gold-plated names in chamber music’. Long one of the most respected chamber groups in the USA, this concert finds the modern day Fine Arts bringing their famous energy to Grieg’s neglected, but passionately romantic, G minor quartet, as well as a modern American classic, Philip Glass’s Second Quartet.
Schubert 12 Waltzes D145 Four Impromptus D899 Hungarian Melody in B minor D817 Piano Sonata No.18 in G major D894
‘Schubert couldn’t be better served’ London Evening Standard
In the second part of his epic eightconcert journey through Schubert’s complete piano music, the acclaimed Liverpool-born pianist Paul Lewis tackles Schubert’s late sonata D.894 – one of the most expansive, and yet intimate, of all Schubert’s piano works. But first, savour the heart-easing charm of Schubert’s youthful waltzes, and the glorious inventiveness of his Impromptus D.899 – practically a sonata in their own right! As always, expect poetry, imagination and deep emotion from the finest Schubert pianist of his generation. Tickets £25
Tickets £20
Fine Arts Quartet
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Paul Lewis piano Jack Liebeck photographer
Quatuor Ebène Tuesday 24 May 7.30pm
Borodin String Quartet No.2 Prokofiev String Quartet No.1 Op.50 Brahms String Quartet Op.51 No.2
‘Here is a gifted young string quartet with something urgent and individual to communicate. This is playing that combines refinement of shading and nuance with a sense of controlled danger’ The Daily Telegraph.
Even in today’s crowded field, the Quatuor Ebène stands out. They may take their inspiration from Quentin Tarantino and Chick Corea, but when their disc of Debussy, Ravel and Fauré won Recording of the Year in the 2009 Classic FM Gramophone Awards, they showed that they had fresh things to say in the classic quartet repertoire, too. This keenly awaited Liverpool appearance finds them tackling two of the best-loved of Romantic quartets – and Prokofiev’s zingy, rarely-heard First. Prepare to be astonished. Tickets £20 Quatuor Ebène Julien Mignot photographer
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Elias Quartet Tuesday 14 June 7.30pm
Beethoven String Quartet Op.95 ‘Serioso’ Dutilleux Ainsi la Nuit Smetana String Quartet No.1 in E minor ‘From My Life’
Booking Information ‘A heaven-storming performance... Big things lie ahead of them’ The Strad
‘The Elias is the best young quartet I’ve come across in years...’ The Sunday Times
Since their breakthrough as foundermembers of the brilliant Sheffieldbased chamber music collective Ensemble 360, the youthful Elias Quartet has quickly become one of the most exciting – and passionate – voices on the British chamber music scene. In February 2010 they received a BorlettiBuitoni Trust Award. Acclaimed for their performances of the German romantics, their Liverpool programme sets two of the 19th century’s most vibrant masterpieces against a true modern classic – the ravishing Ainsi la Nuit by living legend Henri Dutilleux. Tickets £20
Elias Quartet
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By post or in person in advance. Box Office, Philharmonic Hall, Hope Street, Liverpool, L1 9BP. By Telephone 0151 709 3789 Online www.liverpoolphil.com Please note that booking fees may apply
Subject to availability, tickets are available on the door at St George’s Hall for one hour prior to the start of each concert and for 15 minutes after the start. Please note that all seating in St George’s Hall is reserved. Please be aware that some of the seating has limited legroom. If you are tall, please let the box office know when booking your tickets and they will advise accordingly.
Purchase 4 or more concerts and save! Purchase 4-6 concerts – save 10% Purchase 7-9 concerts – save 15%
Patrons who purchase 4 concerts or more in a single booking pay no booking fees and can also exchange their tickets for other RLPO or Rodewald concerts if they are unable to attend. Concessions Under 25s, Students and Claimants can purchase tickets for £7 upon production of appropriate identification, subject to availability. Wheelchair users plus one companion are entitled to 50% off all tickets. Groups of 10 or more save at least 10% – call our Group Sales Coordinator, Dawn Williams, on 0151 210 2918 for details. Please note that standby tickets are not available for these concerts.
How to find St George’s Hall A59
2. Queen’s Square Car Park
WILLIAM BROWN ST
Cost £2.50 after 5pm.
3. Lime Street Car Park
3 QUEENSWAY TUNNEL ENTRANCE
ST GEORGE’S HALL
(Lord Nelson Street) Cost £4 after 6pm.
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Car park times/prices were correct at the time of going to print. Please check opening and closing times and prices of these car parks before parking.
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St George’s Hall is on William Brown Street in Liverpool City Centre, directly opposite Lime Street Station. Access to the Concert Room is via the entrance on William Brown Street at the north end of the building. By public transport Queen's Square Bus Station and Lime Street Station are both less than 5 minutes walk away. By car on entering the city follow signs for Lime Street train station. There is limited car parking for Blue Badge holders at St. Georges Hall. The postcode for navigation is L1 1JJ.
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1. St John’s Car Park Cost £2, 5pm-midnight. Securely manned. Enter main car park (not pay and display area), go through barrier, take ticket to park on level 1A or above. When leaving car park after concert, hand car park ticket and concert ticket stub to cashier to get £2 tariff.
Principal Funders
Principal Partner Thanks to the City of Liverpool for its financial support
Higher Education Partner
Media Partner
Family Partner
Rodewald Concert Society. Registered charity number 236406. Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society. A company limited by guarantee. Registered in England number 88235. Registered charity number 230538. Chamber Music Rodewald Concert Series
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Sounds Creative Help create new chamber music for future generations The Rodewald Concert Society initiated Sounds Creative to commission new chamber music works as part of the celebrations for Liverpool’s 800 years and European Capital of Culture 2008. The first commission was a Clarinet Quintet by Hugh Wood which was first performed to great acclaim on 20 November 2007.
Chamber Music Play Days Quintet for the Society’s Artistic Adviser and Principal Clarinettist of the RLPO, Nicholas Cox. Sounds Creative is viewed as a major component of the activites of the Society into the future and the Committee would welcome specific donations towards both of these commissions and pledges towards future commissions. A donation or pledge of £100 will secure a share in a new composition. Besides the satisfaction of assisting in the creation of new music, contributors of £100 will:
The Society is looking to commission new chamber works through this • Be kept informed of the progress of scheme on a regular, perhaps the work annual, basis if funds allow. Two • Be credited in the score, programme commissions have recently been notes and CD notes if they wish placed for works to celebrate the • Receive a complimentary CD if the Society’s Centenary in 2011. The work is recorded Society’s Honorary President, John McCabe, has been commissioned to For more information please contact write a Horn Quintet for David Pyatt Alison Cearns on 0151 648 2849 or and the young Merseyside composer, cearnsalison@yahoo.co.uk or by post Emily Howard, has been to Bank House, 142 Barnston Road, commissioned to write a Clarinet Barnston, Wirral, CH61 1BY
One-day courses for amateur string-based ensembles Applications are invited from both preformed groups and individuals, for whom we will endeavour to form compatible groups. The groups can be of string players, typically trios, quartets or quintets or of strings with one additional instrument, e.g. piano or wind. The practical minimum standard for the course is Associated Board Grade 5. Though intended for adults, young people aged 16/17 may be eligible. Course dates/location to be confirmed. Please contact Colin Jones on 0151 608 1468 or colinjones.cpa@btopenworld.com or by post to Clwyd, 21 Stanley Avenue, Higher Bebington, Wirral, CH63 5QE
Experience Chamber Music from home on the Phil Channel If you’ve missed any concerts from the Rodewald series, log on to www.liverpoolphil.com and check out our Phil Channel, where you can enjoy video extracts from Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and select chamber music recitals. Current features on the channel include renowned vocalist Bryn Terfel and the fast-rising Badke String Quartet, in addition to selections from Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestera concerts and artist interviews. The Phil Channel is constantly being updated, so be sure to check regularly for new concert footage.
Phil Channel