Chamber Music Weekends 2013–14

Chamber Music Weekends 2013–2014

Emma Johnson & Friends 22–24 November 2013

The Dominant Quartet 24–26 January 2014

The Chilingirian Quartet 21–23 February 2014

The London Haydn Quartet 28–30 March 2014

The Vienna Piano Trio 25–27 April 2014

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A music weekend arranged by Martin Randall Music Management is a very special experience.

There is the pleasure, first, of hearing music performed by artists of the highest calibre, who are all among the very best in their fields. Many come from mainland Europe as well as the UK.

aesthetic sensibilities. Within an over-arching theme, the music is carefully chosen and programmed to provide an illuminating sequence – while each concert is satisfyingly self-sufficient.

Some weekends include pre-concert lectures, and sometimes artists introduce the music themselves.

Second, the music is performed in an intimate setting, a small hall little bigger than a large drawing room – just the sort of size which composers used to have in mind for chamber music. The audience is rarely more than a hundred and usually fewer, and consists mainly of those who stay throughout the weekend and attend all four concerts.

The 2013–2014 season begins in November with a weekend of Brahms and Schumann, devised and performed by clarinettist Emma Johnson.

Following the success of her weekend in Taunton in 2011, she performs this time at Jesmond Dene House in Newcastle. She will be joined by her regular collaborator John Lenehan (piano), the Michelangelo Quartet and mezzo-soprano Stephanie Marshall.

Third, the weekends take place in one of two outstanding hotels. The Castle in Taunton and Jesmond Dene House in Newcastle are both among the most agreeable in England, famous for comfort, character, and cuisine. We usually have exclusive use of the hotels during these music weekends, and there is plenty of opportunity for artists and audience to mingle.

In January the brilliant Dominant Quartet from Moscow returns to Taunton to perform a programme largely of Russian music with their incomparable delicacy and depth of understanding.

The masterly Chilingirian Quartet presents four concerts of quartets by Beethoven and Schubert in February – we expect this to be a particularly popular weekend.

While these events are undeniably indulgent and leisurely retreats, they are also intended to stimulate the mind and enchant the

Leaders in the field of quartet performance with classical bows and gut strings, the London Haydn Quartet performs a programme by Beethoven and Haydn in March. The April weekend will be the Vienna Piano Trio’s eighth at The Castle Hotel in Taunton, though this will be the first with their recently-appointed and much acclaimed violinist, Bogdan Božović.

There have been music weekends at The Castle since 1977, and Martin Randall Music Management have been organising them since 2003. The first music weekend at Jesmond Dene House in Newcastle took place in 2011.

The price for the weekend covers almost everything, from the concerts or talks themselves to interval drinks, plus luxurious accommodation, extravagant afternoon teas and memorable dinners.

Even gratuities for hotel staff are included.

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The Hotels The Castle Hotel, Taunton (right, top)

The Castle Hotel is renowned for its excellent service, for comforts traditional and modern and for its superb catering. It has been owned and run by the Chapman family for over sixty years.

Music weekends have been held here since 1977, and Martin Randall Music Management took over the running of them in 2003. Concerts and talks are held in the air-conditioned Music Room.

Bedrooms are individually and charmingly decorated and well equipped. The majority have a bath with a shower above (only two have walk-in showers). Most are a good size, and the largest, in the remains of the twelfth-century castle, have a sitting area and separate dressing room, and overlook the garden. Single rooms – for which there is no supplement – are fairly small and have a single bed.

Taunton lies on the doorstep of Exmoor and the Quantocks, areas with some of the loveliest countryside in England. www.the-castle-hotel.com Jesmond Dene House, Newcastle (right, centre)

Jesmond Dene House is a nineteenth-century mansion in a quiet wooded suburb about two miles from the centre of Newcastle. It opened as a luxury hotel in 2005 and in 2012 was awarded ‘Small Hotel of the Year’ at the North East England Tourism Awards.

Emma Johnson & Friends 22–24 November 2013, Newcastle........... 4–5

The Dominant Quartet

The public areas are stylishly decorated and include a Tudor-style wood-panelled hall where the concerts take place. There is an excellent restaurant and a garden.

Service is attentive and efficient.

24–26 January 2014, Taunton..........................6

The Chilingirian Quartet 21–23 February 2014, Taunton.......................7

Bedrooms are well designed in a modern style with good lighting, attractive textiles and features such as a cd/ dvd player. Some of the bedrooms are in the adjacent ‘New House’ and some bathrooms have a shower only (across all room categories). Single rooms comfortably fit a double bed.

The London Haydn Quartet 28–30 March 2014, Taunton............................8

The Vienna Piano Trio 25–27 April 2014, Taunton................................9 Making a booking............................................ 10

The hotel is close to glorious Northumberland countryside, the setting for great castles, country houses and Hadrian’s Wall. The city centre boasts some of the finest Georgian streetscape in Britain as well as the spectacular riverside and modern arts centres.

Booking conditions...................................... 10 What is included?............................................ 10 extending your stay....................................... 10 Booking form...............................................11–12

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Emma Johnson & Friends Brahms & Schumann Stephanie Marshall has performed as a recitalist with most of the leading accompanists. She has also been a Company Principal with English National Opera.

Formed in 2002, the Michelangelo Quartet have performed worldwide, including engagements in the UK in 2012 and 2013.

While Brahms and Schumann dominate the weekend programme, variety is provided with a smattering of Mendelssohn, Strauss, Schubert, Mozart and Zemlinsky in a carefully crafted programme. Each concert will be introduced by Emma in her inimitable way.

Itinerary Day 1: Friday, 22 November.

Check in to the hotel from 2.00pm. Afternoon tea is served between 3.00 and 5.00pm.

22–24 November 2013 (ma 775) Jesmond Dene House, Newcastle Prices from £740

Concert 1, 6.00pm: Mendelssohn, Clarinet Sonata in E flat; Zemlinsky, Trio in D minor for clarinet, cello and piano, Op.3; Schumann, Adagio and Allegro in E flat for cello and piano, Op.70; Brahms, Trio in A minor for clarinet, cello & piano, Op.114.

Emma Johnson clarinet; John Lenehan piano; Stephanie Marshall mezzo-soprano; The Michelangelo Quartet: Mihaela Martin violin, Daniel Austrich violin, Nobuko Imai viola, Frans Helmerson cello.

Dinner follows the concert at c. 8.00pm.

Day 2: Saturday, 23 November.

Concert 2, 10.30am: Schumann, Fantasiestücke Op.73 for clarinet and piano; Brahms, Intermezzi Op.119 for solo piano; Strauss, ‘Allerseelen’ (voice & piano); Schubert, ‘Suleika’ (voice & piano); Brahms, ‘Zwei Gesänge’ Op.91 for voice, viola & piano; Schumann, Drei Romanzen Op.94 (clarinet & piano); Schumann, ‘Traumerei’ from ‘Kinderscenen’ for piano, Op.15; Brahms, ‘Vier Ernste Gesange’ (voice & piano), Op.121.

One of this country’s best-loved musicians, and one of the world’s finest clarinettists, Emma was catapulted into the public eye when she won the BBC Young Musician of the Year in 1984. Whilst still at school, she also won the Young Concert Artists Auditions in New York. She studied Music and English at Cambridge University, and later was the first woman to be made an Honorary Fellow of Pembroke College, Cambridge. Emma has performed with the world’s leading orchestras, and has a repertoire that includes all the major clarinet works, including a number of pieces written specifically for her.

Afternoon tea is served between 3.00 and 5.00pm.

Concert 3, 6.00pm: Schubert, ‘Quartettsatz’ D703; Schumann, String Quartet No.1; Brahms, Clarinet Quintet in B minor, Op.115.

For this weekend, she has selected a group of artists with whom she collaborates regularly. John Lenehan (piano) has a concert career spanning thirty years, and has recorded and performed with Emma Johnson on numerous occasions. Canadian mezzo-soprano

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Dinner follows the concert at c. 8.00pm.

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Day 3: Sunday, 24 November.

Concert 4, 10.30am: Mozart, ‘Kegelstatt’ Trio in E flat for clarinet, viola and piano, K.498; Brahms, Viola Sonata in F minor, Op.120 No.1; Schumann, ‘Märchenerzählungen’, Op.132, for viola, clarinet and piano; Brahms, Clarinet Sonata in E flat, Op.120 No.2.

The concert ends at c. 12.40pm.

Practicalities

Prices, all per person: Small double (twin beds not possible) £740; Standard double or twin £780; Junior Suite £880; Suite: £950; Double room for single occupancy £780. Deposit: £100 per person.

Tickets to individual concerts: £24 for the two morning concerts, £25 for each of the evenings. This includes an interval drink. To book these, please call 020 8742 3355.

Alternatively, the hotel offers a ‘dinner and concert’ package. If you are interested in this, please call them directly to book this on 0191 212 3000. Please note: the dinner offered would not be with our main party, but in a different part of the restaurant.

‘Playing and singing of the highest standard thoughout. Could not have been bettered anywhere’.

G.S. & M.S., Kent, audience members at Emma Johnson & Friends in 2011.

Above left: Emma Johnson (©Tim Kavanagh, also for front cover). Above: The Michelangelo Quartet; Stephanie Marshall; John Lenehan.

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The Dominant Quartet Russian & Romantic quartets Itinerary Day 1: Friday, 24 January.

Check in to the hotel from 2.00pm. Afternoon tea is served from 3.00 to 5.00pm. At 5.30pm, there is a preconcert talk by Professor Geoffrey Norris.

Concert 1, 6.00pm: Beethoven, String Quartet in B flat, Op.18 No.6; Rachmaninov, Scherzo; Tchaikovsky, String Quartet No.2 in F, Op.22.

Dinner follows at 8.00pm.

Day 2: Saturday, 25 January.

The pre-concert talk takes place at 10.30am.

24–26 January 2014 (ma 803) The Castle Hotel, Taunton Price: £590 (Garden Room £670) Speaker: Professor Geoffrey Norris

Concert 2, 11.00am: Schubert, String Quartet No.14 in D minor, D810 ‘Death & the Maiden’; Borodin, String Quartet No.1 in A; Borodin, Serenade.

Afternoon tea is served from 3.00 to 5.00pm The preconcert talk is at 5.30pm.

Elena Revich violin; Ekaterina Pogodina violin; Anna Sazonkina viola; Tatiana Egorova cello.

Concert 3, 6.00pm: Mozart, String Quartet No.17 in B flat, K.458 ‘The Hunt’; Ravel, String Quartet in F (1902); Tchaikovsky, String Quartet No.1 in D, Op.11.

Founded fifteen years ago, the Dominant Quartet ranks among the foremost Russian string ensembles and has become a leading exponent of their native Russian repertoire. All women, they play with tenderness and passion while striving to maintain the authentic sound of the great age of Russian music which has been handed down by their teachers and their teachers’ teachers. The quartet tours extensively throughout Europe, the Far East and the USA. This will be the quartet’s third visit to Taunton, their last being in 2006.

Dinner follows at c. 8.00pm.

Day 3: Sunday, 26 January.

Pre-concert talk at 10.30am.

Concert 4, 11.00am: Haydn, String Quartet in C, Op.76 No.3 ‘Emperor’; Webern, Langsamer Satz; Tchaikovsky, String Quartet No.3 in E flat minor Op.30.

The final concert ends at c. 12.30pm.

The programme is built around music by Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov and Borodin, artfully combined with wellknown quartets by Beethoven, Schubert, Mozart, Ravel, Webern and Haydn.

Practicalities

Prices per person: £590, Garden Room £670 (deposit £100 per person).

Pre-concert talks are given by Professor Geoffrey Norris, broadcaster for BBC Radio 3 and former Chief Critic for The Daily Telegraph. He lectured at Royal Northern College of Music 1977–83 and is Emeritus Professor at the Rachmaninoff Music Academy in Russia.

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Tickets to individual concerts: £24 for morning concerts, £25 for evening concerts. This includes the cost of an interval drink. Please contact the Castle Hotel directly to book these: 01823 272 671.

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The Chilingirian Quartet Beethoven & Schubert 21–23 February 2014 (ma 819) The Castle Hotel, Taunton Price: £690 (Garden Room £820) Levon Chilingirian violin; Ronald Birks violin; Susie Mészáros viola; Stephen Orton cello.

The Chilingirian is one of the world’s most celebrated and widely-travelled chamber ensembles, renowned for its thrilling interpretations of the great quartets and commanding performances of the contemporary repertoire. Theirs is a sound that is both powerful and precise; richly interpretive and yet always true to the composer’s vision. Now in their fourth decade, the Chilingirian continues to tour, record and teach.

Their programme comprises mature works by two composers: middle-period quartets by Beethoven (with the exception of one late quartet, the Op.127, written in 1825) and late quartets by Schubert (all composed between 1820 and 1826).

Itinerary Day 1: Friday, 21 February.

Check in to the hotel from 2.00pm. Afternoon tea is served from 3.00 to 5.00pm.

Day 3: Sunday, 23 February.

Dinner follows at c. 8.00pm.

The final concert ends at c. 12.30pm.

Day 2: Saturday, 22 February.

Practicalities

Concert 4, 11.00am: Schubert, String Quartet in A minor, D804 ‘Rosamunde’; Beethoven, String Quartet Op.59 No.3 in C, ‘Rasumovsky’.

Concert 1, 6.00pm: Beethoven, String Quartet Op.59 No.2 in E minor ‘Rasumovsky’; Beethoven, String Quartet Op.127 in E flat.

Concert 2, 11.00am: Beethoven, String Quartet Op.74 in E flat ‘Harp’; Schubert, String Quartet in D minor D810 ‘Death & the Maiden’.

Prices per person: £690, Garden Room £820 (deposit £100 per person).

Afternoon tea is served between 3.00 and 5.00pm.

Tickets to individual concerts: £24 for morning concerts, £25 for evening concerts. This includes the cost of an interval drink. Please contact the Castle Hotel directly to book these, on 01823 272 671.

Dinner follows at c. 8.00pm.

Photo ©Wax Media (also for front cover).

Concert 3, 6.00pm: Beethoven, String Quartet Op.95 in F minor ‘Serioso’; Schubert, ‘Quartettsatz’ D703; Schubert, String Quartet in G, D887.

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The London Haydn Quartet Late Haydn & early Beethoven Itinerary Day 1: Friday 28 March.

Check in to the hotel from 2.00pm. Afternoon tea is served in the front hall between 3.00 and 5.00pm.

Concert 1, 6.00pm: Haydn, String Quartet in G, Op.76 No.1; Beethoven, String Quartet in B flat, Op.18 No.6; Beethoven, String Quartet in C minor, Op.18 No.4.

Dinner follows at c. 8.00pm.

Day 2: Saturday 29 March.

Concert 2, 11.00am: Haydn, String Quartet in C, Op.76 No.3 ‘Emperor’; Beethoven, String Quartet in D, Op.18 No.3; Haydn, String Quartet in E flat, Op.76 No.6.

28–30 March 2014 (ma 844) The Castle Hotel, Taunton Price: £690 (Garden Room £820)

Afternoon tea is served between 3.00 and 5.00pm.

Concert 3, 6.00pm: Beethoven, String Quartet in F, Op.18 No.1; Haydn, String Quartet in D minor, Op.76 No.2 ‘Fifths’; Beethoven, String Quartet in A, Op.18 No.5.

Catherine Manson violin; Michael Gurevich violin; James Boyd viola; Richard Lester cello.

Dinner follows at c. 8.00pm.

Since its founding in 2000, The London Haydn Quartet has become one of the most respected ensembles specialising in ‘historically informed’ performance of the classical repertoire. Playing with gut strings and classical bows, their passion for Haydn has led them to present many all-Haydn programmes at venues such as Wigmore Hall, the Concertgebouw, Carnegie Hall and the Library of Congress and at international festivals including Cheltenham, Esterhaza and Granada.

Day 3: Sunday 30 March.

Concert 4, 11.00am: Haydn, String Quartet in D, Op.76 No.5; Haydn, String Quartet in B flat, Op.76 No.4 ‘Sunrise’; Beethoven, String Quartet in G, Op.18 No.2.

The final concert ends c. 12.30pm.

Practicalities

The Quartet performs Nos 2–6 of Haydn’s Op.76, his penultimate string quartet cycle written in Vienna (c.

1797), and four quartets from Beethoven’s Op.18 set, composed around the same time while the composer was in his twenties. The link between the two composers is strong at this point, Beethoven having received tuition from Haydn in the early 1790s.

Prices per person: £690, Garden Room £820 (deposit £100 per person).

Tickets to individual concerts: £24 for morning concerts, £25 for evening concerts. This includes the cost of an interval drink. Please contact the Castle Hotel directly to book these, on 01823 272 671.

This will be the London Haydn Quartet’s third visit to the Castle Hotel.

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Photo ©Benjamin Harte (also for front cover).

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The Vienna Piano Trio Dvořák: all the trios 25–27 April 2014 (ma 871) The Castle Hotel, Taunton Price: £690 (Garden Room £820) Speaker: Richard Wigmore

Concert 2, 11.00am: Onslow, Piano Trio No.7 in D minor, Op.20; Dvořák, Piano Trio No.1 in B flat, Op.21.

Afternoon tea is served between 3.00 and 5.00pm. There is a pre-concert talk at 5.30pm.

Bogdan Božović violin; Matthias Gredler cello; Stefan Mendl piano.

Concert 3, 6.00pm: Mozart, Piano Trio No.4 in E, K.542; Schönberg, ‘Transfigured Night’ (1899); Dvořák, Piano Trio No.3 in F minor, Op.65.

One of the outstanding chamber ensembles of our times, and probably the greatest piano trio in the world, the Vienna Piano Trio has toured extensively in Europe, the Americas and the Far East since its formation in 1988.

They were Resident Ensemble at Wigmore Hall during the 2011–2012 season, and have also been resident at the Vienna Konzerthaus since 2006. This will be the Trio’s eighth weekend at The Castle Hotel in Taunton.

Dinner follows at c. 8.00pm.

Day 3: Sunday, 27 April.

Pre-concert talk at 10.30am.

Concert 4, 11.00am: Haydn, Piano Trio in G, ‘Gypsy Rondo’; Dvořák, Piano Trio in E minor, Op.90 ‘Dumky’.

Dvořák’s piano trios will be the focus of their programme – they will perform the full set. Around this they will perform works by Schubert, Mozart, Schönberg (the piano trio transcription of Transfigured Night

by Eduard Steurmann), Haydn and George Onslow (1784–1853); Onslow was revered in his time as a gifted composer and was admired by such figures as Beethoven and Schubert, but is virtually forgotten today.

The final concert ends at c. 12.30pm.

Practicalities

Prices per person: £690, Garden Room £820 (deposit £100 per person).

Tickets to individual concerts: £24 for morning concerts, £25 for evening concerts. This includes the cost of an interval drink. Please contact the Castle Hotel directly to book these, on 01823 272 671.

Pre-concert talks are given by the Richard Wigmore – lecturer, writer on music and broadcaster. Richard writes for BBC Music Magazine, The Telegraph and Gramophone.

Itinerary Day 1: Friday, 25th April.

Check in at the hotel from 2.00pm. Afternoon tea is served between 3.00 and 5.00pm. There is a pre-concert talk by Richard Wigmore at 5.30pm.

Concert 1, 6.00pm: Schubert, Piano Trio in B flat, D28 ‘Sonatensatz’; Dvořák, Piano Trio No.2 in G minor, Op.26; Schubert, Piano Trio in B flat, D898.

Dinner follows at c. 8.00pm.

Day 2: Saturday, 26th April.

Pre-concert talk at 10.30am.

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Booking details Making a booking

What is included?

We recommend that you contact us first to make a provisional booking which we will hold for one week.

The price for each weekend includes: admission to all four concerts (and pre-concert talks, if applicable); two nights’ accommodation; two breakfasts, two afternoon teas and two dinners (with wine, water and coffee); all interval drinks; all gratuities for hotel staff.

To confirm your booking, please send the booking form and £100 per-person deposit to us within this period.

Booking conditions

Extending your stay

Cancellation. If you cancel your participation on a weekend up to 57 days beforehand, the deposit only is forfeited. Thereafter a percentage of the total cost of the weekend package would be due:

Please contact us for a quote if you would like to stay at the hotel for extra nights either side of the weekend.

Between 56 and 29 days: 40% Between 28 and 15 days: 60% Between 14 days and 3 days: 80% Within 48 hours: 100%

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We take as the day of cancellation that on which we receive a cancellation in writing from you. By signing the booking form, you assent to these conditions.

Martin Randall Music Festivals 2014 Martin Randall Travel usually runs around four music festivals per year, with musicians of the highest calibre performing in appropriate historic venues. The price includes concerts, accommodation, most meals, lectures and much else besides. Contact us for more information or visit www.martinrandall.com.

Music in Palladian Villas 23–28 June 2014 The Rhine Valley Festival of Song 29 May–6 June 2014 The Danube Music Festival 22–29 August 2014 A Festival of Music in Bologna 27 September–4 October 2014 w w w. m a r t i n r a n d a l l . c o m

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Booking form Your name(s), as you would like them to appear in the programme, issued to all participants: 1.

2.

Contact details, for all correspondence: Address

Please tick for the weekend(s) that you would like to book, and for your chosen room-type.

Weekend at Jesmond Dene House, Newcastle: Emma Johnson & Friends 22–24 November 2013 (ma 775)

Postcode Telephone (home) Telephone (work)

Double room for single occupancy

Small double (twin beds not possible)

Standard double

Standard twin

Junior suite (double)

Junior suite (twin)

Suite (double)

Suite (twin)

Weekends at The Castle Hotel, Taunton:

Mobile

The Dominant Quartet 24–26 January 2014 (ma 803)

Email

The Chilingirian Quartet 21–23 February 2014 (ma 819)

Special requests, including extra nights and dietary requirements.

The London Haydn Quartet 28–30 March 2014 (ma 844) The Vienna Piano Trio 25–27 April 2014 (ma 871) Single room Standard double

Standard twin

Garden room (double)

Garden room (twin)

MARTIN RANDALL MUSIC MANAGEMENT

Booking form Payment.

Agreement.

Total enclosed:

I have read and agree to the Booking Conditions on behalf of all listed on this form.

£ Deposits are £100 per person, per weekend. If you are booking within ten weeks of the event, the full amount is due.

EITHER I enclose a cheque, made payable to Martin Randall Travel Ltd. Please write the weekend code on the back (e.g. ma 123).

Signed: Date: Please tear off and return this form to the address at the bottom of this page.

OR Please charge my Visa/ Mastercard/ Amex: Card number

Start date

Expiry date

OR I have paid by bank transfer (details below).

Account name: Martin Randall Travel Ltd. Bank: Drummonds, Royal Bank of Scotland, 49 Charing Cross, London SW1A 2DX. Account number: 0019 6050 Sort code: 16-00-38 IBAN: GB71 RBOS 1600 3800 1960 50 Swift/ BIC: RBOS GB2L

M ARTIN RANDALL MUSIC MANAGEMENT A D I V I S I O N O F M A RT I N R A N D A L L T R AV E L

Voysey House, Barley Mow Passage, London, United Kingdom W4 4GF Telephone 020 8742 3355 Fax 020 8742 7766 info@martinrandall.co.uk 5085

www.martinrandall.com