CONSONE QUARTET

From Haydn To Bruckner On Period Instruments

3–5 November 2023 (mj 101)

The Castle Hotel, Taunton

Price: from £920

Speaker: Dr Katy Hamilton

Agata Daraškaitė violin

Magdalena Loth-Hill violin

Elitsa Bogdanova viola

George Ross cello

The first period instrument quartet to be selected as BBC New Generation Artists, the Consone Quartet are fast making a name for themselves with their honest and expressive interpretations of Classical and Romantic repertoire. Formed at the Royal College of Music in London, they launched their career in 2015, shortly after which they were awarded prizes at the York Early Music International Young Artists Competition and the Royal Over-Seas League Competition.

In 2022 the group became a recipient of the prestigious Borletti-Buitoni Trust fellowship. The quartet has performed throughout the UK and Europe as well as appearing on concert stages in South and North America. They began the 2023–24 season with appearances at Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern’s Inselmusik, Perth Concert Hall, St Martin-inthe-Fields London and St George’s Bristol. They recently celebrated a new partnership with Linn Records, with the release of the first volume of their full Mendelssohn cycle.

Each concert covers a different theme:

‘Teacher and Student’. As a boy, Carl Czerny was brought to meet Beethoven – having impressed him with his prodigious talent as a pianist, he became Beethoven’s pupil and later a part of his inner circle in Vienna. This concert explores the link between the two.

‘Vienna’. This programme celebrates the Austrian city’s rich musical heritage, with three masterful quartets by Schubert, Haydn, and Bruckner – each work showcasing its composer’s unique style, from Schubert’s elegant lyricism to Haydn’s witty charm and Bruckner’s powerful emotional depth.

‘Friendship’. Schumann and Mendelssohn were close friends and held each other in mutual admiration. The third concert is a tribute to their well-documented and enduring friendship, and delves into the deep emotional bonds that inspire great music making.

‘Mozart and his Doppelgänger’. Juan Crisóstomo Arriaga was an extraordinarily talented Spanish violinist and composer. With a style closely reminiscent to Mozart’s, and arguably as prodigious as his Austrian counterpart, he has often been dubbed as ‘the Spanish Mozart’ – though his music should be appreciated in its own right. Like Mozart, Arriaga died at a tragically young age, though at just 19 compared to Mozart’s 35 years.

Talks on the music are given by Dr Katy Hamilton . A writer and broadcaster, she has provided talks for Wigmore Hall, BBC Proms and the Oxford Lieder Festival, and she is a frequent contributor to BBC Radio 3.

Programme

FRIDAY 3 NOVEMBER, 5.30pm

‘Teacher and Student’

Beethoven, String Quartet in F, Op.59 No.1

Razumovsky

Czerny, String Quartet in A minor

SATURDAY 4 NOVEMBER, 10.30am

‘Vienna’

Schubert, String Quartet in B flat, D68 (in two movements)

Haydn, String Quartet in E flat, Op.64 No.6 Bruckner, String Quartet in C minor

SATURDAY 4 NOVEMBER, 5.30pm

‘Friendship’

Schumann, Selection from Bilder aus Osten , arr.

F. Hermann

Mendelssohn, String Quartet in E Minor, Op.44 No.2

Schumann, String Quartet No.3 in A

SUNDAY 5 NOVEMBER, 10.30am

‘Mozart and his Doppelgänger’

Juan Arriaga, String Quartet No.2 in A Mozart, String Quartet in G, K387 Spring

Practicalities

Prices, per person. Two sharing: standard double £920; Garden Room £1,120. Single occupancy: single bedded room £920; double for sole use £1,030.

Included: four concerts, talks on the music, accommodation for two nights, breakfasts, two afternoon teas, two dinners, interval drinks, programme, tips for hotel staff.

Start and finish times. The event begins on Friday 3 November with afternoon tea available from 3.00–5.00pm (check in is from 3.00pm). The final concert ends at c. 12.30pm on Sunday 5 November.

Tickets to individual concerts: £25 mornings, £30 evenings. Interval refreshments and a programme are also included.

Hotel information: see page 10.

Booking information: see page 13.