The Art Of The String Quartet August – November 2019

The Art of the String QuartetAugust – November 2019

WelcomeI am delighted to welcome you to theBerwick Music Series.This is a new and unique programmeof musical events, which includesconcerts, lectures, a workshop andthe chance for local musicians to playalongside world-famous internationalperformers. The Berwick Music Series2019 is called The Art of the StringQuartet and I am delighted that, underMike Worboys’ direction, we have puttogether a very strong programmewith absolutely top-class performers,and one which provides a specialopportunity for Berwick musicians.schools, and this has been madepossible by support from the Sir JamesKnott Trust and considerable help fromthe staff at the Music Department inthose schools.Thirdly, the research workshop will bethe first of its kind in Berwick, and wethank the University of Greenwich fortheir support.This series is a new development forBEA on several fronts: Firstly, this isthe first time we have organised livemusical performances, and we are verygrateful to Kate Stephenson for makingthe wonderful Watchtower availablefor our concerts, and to Canon DennisHandley for allowing us the use ofBerwick Parish Church.Finally, Berwick Music Series 2019involves a commitment of resourcesthat would not have been feasible forBEA on its own. The BMS AdvisoryGroup has given generously of theirtime and expertise, and we havereceived financial (and moral!) supportfrom Berwick Town Council, theCoastal Communities Fund andNorthumberland County Council’sCultural Fund, and from ourcommercial sponsor, Simpsons Malt,a long-standing and generoussupporter of Berwick cultural life.We thank them all for their support.Secondly, this is the first time thatBEA has collaborated with Berwick’sPam CampionChair of Trustees, BEA

Visitor InformationTicketsThe primary venue for all ourperformances is the BerwickWatchtower Gallery. Besides havingwonderful acoustic properties, theWatchtower Gallery houses a largecollection of work by the Englishabstract artist Ian Stephenson ra .Each event can be booked separatelyor you can buy a Series Pass, whichgives entrance to all eight events.You can book by mail, usingthe enclosed form, or online atberwickmusic.org.Tickets will also be sold at the door,subject to availability.Find full details of all events atberwickmusic.org1 Berwick Watchtower79 West End, Tweedmouth,Berwick-upon-Tweed TD15 2HE67A112 Berwick Parish Church &3 Berwick Parish CentreParade, Berwick-upon-Tweed TD15 1DF3 HILL716A1TRHIDEWEST ENDEDGWEST1Berwick-upon-TweedERLKWAA1167BANK HILLARYGATECHURCH STREETMEET“The most perfect expressionof human behaviour isa string quartet.”Lectures and Workshop: 6Concerts: 10Community Performance: FreeSeries Pass: 36Patrons Pass: 50The Community Concert will takeplace in the spacious and resonantBerwick Parish Church. Lectures andthe research workshop take place inthe Berwick Parish Centre. All venuesare within a 20 minute walk of BerwickRail station.Introducing theBerwick Music Series2019LMARKETSo wrote the conductor Jeffrey Tatein the New Yorker in 1990. The stringquartet provides the perfect mix ofindividualism and group cooperation.The string quartet repertoire began inthe mid-18th century with the worksof Haydn and continues to the presentday. Almost all major composers havecontributed to this repertoire. Many ofthe most renowned musical ensembleshave been string quartet ensembles.We are very happy to be celebratingthe string quartet – both in its form andits players – in a series of outstandingevents. At the core we have pleasure toannounce three concerts, each performedby an ensemble of international stature.Supporting these performances will bethree lectures that introduce this artform to a general audience, coveringgeneral background, history, contextand cultural significance, as wellas taking a closer look at some keystring quartets, including those to beperformed in the concerts. There willalso be a multi-disciplinary workshop,Sound in Space – Space in Sound, thatexplores relationships and connectionsbetween music and the spaces we livein and of our imaginations. The seasonwill be rounded off with a celebratorycommunity performance led by theinternationally renowned ensembleQuatuor Bozzini.The works to be performed includemany from the established repertoire(for example, Haydn, Mozart, Schubert,Ravel and Shostakovich) but we aredelighted also to be able to showcasethree works by living composers fromthe North East.The quartet concerts will be performedin the wonderful Watchtower Gallery,with its spacious acoustic properties.We are especially grateful to KateStephenson for being so encouragingabout this project and making theWatchtower available.Finally, Berwick Music Series would nothave been possible without leadershipfrom and collaboration with the BerwickEducational Association. I would liketo add my personal thanks to the BEAand sponsors and supporters whohave contributed to making this year’sBerwick Music Series possible.Michael Worboys Artistic Director

Thu 15 August, 1–3pmBerwick Parish CentreSat 24 August, 1pm [1hr 15]Watchtower GalleryThu 5 September, 1-3pmBerwick Parish CentreWed 11 September, 1pm [1hr 15]Watchtower GalleryThe Art of the String QuartetDulcinea QuartetThe Art of the String QuartetFrankland QuartetMichael WorboysBMS Artistic DirectorMinn Majoe violinHaru Ushigusa violinMartin Wray violaKirsten Jenson celloMichael WorboysBMS Artistic DirectorSophie Appleton violinSarah Roberts violinJames Slater violaDaniel Hammersley celloLecture IThis lecture is the first of three thatintroduce the string quartet art formto a general audience. No prior musicalknowledge is assumed. The lectureswill cover general background, history,context and cultural significance, aswell as taking a closer look at some keystring quartets, including those to beperformed in the concerts. The coursewill be supported by audio and videoexamples. Attendance at the concerts,while desirable, is not essential as thecourse can be followed independently ofthe live performances.Content of Lecture One: What is astring quartet? Instruments, generalsetting, structure, early examples,and focus on the works to be playedon 24 August by the Dulcinea Quartet(works by Mozart, Barber and Schubert).Dulcinea QuartetMozart: D minor String Quartet K421Barber: String Quartet Op. 11Schubert: Quartettsatz D703The London-based Dulcinea Quartetwas formed at the Royal Academy ofMusic in 2008. The Quartet performsregularly in Japan, and is part ofANIMA, a chamber ensemble thatplays contemporary music alongsideanimated films. As well as workingclosely with up-and-coming composersand animators, the ANIMA ensemblehas recorded several film scores.Mozart’s D minor quartet wascomposed in 1793, whilst his wifeConstanze was in labour with theirfirst child.The American composer SamuelBarber wrote this, his only stringquartet, in 1935–36. He arranged themiddle movement for string orchestraas his well-known Adagio for Strings.Schubert’s quartet movementQuartettsatz was intended as the firstmovement of a complete string quartetbut, like his Unfinished Symphony, itremained uncompleted.Lecture IIThis lecture is the second of three thatintroduce the string quartet art form toa general audience.Lecture Two in the series will chartthe historical development of thestring quartet and some of its mostrenowned ensembles, and review theworks to be performed on 11 Septemberby the Frankland Quartet (works byHaydn, Medeksaite and Ravel).Frankland QuartetHaydn: String Quartet Op. 103Egidija Medeksaite: Megh MalharRavel: String Quartet in F MajorThe Frankland Quartet was formedby members of the Royal NorthernSinfonia, who have played in orchestrassuch as the Philharmonia, RoyalPhilharmonic Orchestra, Academyof St Martins in the Field and theOrchestra of the Royal Opera House.They performed Haydn and Beethovenon BBC Radio 3 as part of the ‘freethinking’ festival in 2018.In 1803, Haydn, in failing health,accepted a commission for six quartetsfrom Count Moritz von Fries. What wehave are two movements that mayhave been composed earlier in his life.Haydn added the following words to thescore: “Gone is all my strength, old andweak am I.”Egidija Medeksaite lives in Durham.Megh Malhar is a Hindustani classicalraga. The name derives from theSanskrit word Megh, meaning cloud.Maurice Ravel completed his StringQuartet in 1903 at the age of 28. It isdedicated to his teacher, Gabriel Fauré.