Dear Music Lovers
In addition to their regular series at the Baxter, the Cape Town Concert Series is occasionally asked to assist visiting artists with their South African tours.
The Dante Quartet arrive in South Africa today and will be at the Stellenbosch Woordfees this weekend before presenting workshops at both Stellenbosch and Cape Town Universities and then onto recitals in Cape Town, Kalk Bay, Soweto and Johannesburg. They are among the finest ensembles in the United Kingdom, known for its imaginative programming and impassioned performances. The Quartet is formed by two South African violinists- Zoë Beyers and Ian Watson, and UK violist Carol Ella and cellist Richard Jenkinson. They have performed widely within the UK, France, Germany, Holland, Spain, Switzerland, Finland, Czech Republic, Poland and has twice toured Japan. The Quartet has been honoured with the Royal Philharmonic Society Award for Chamber Music and has also received international awards for its recordings.
On Wednesday 18th October they will present a programme including two classical masterpieces from the standard repertoire, as well as two intriguing and absorbing contemporary works. As always we invite you to explore the programme further with Albert Combrink who says:
The String Quartet is a configuration of four stringed instruments, each with its own range, that at once fascinates, challenges, and terrifies any composer. A litmus test, a trial by fire, and a calling card of virtually every composer who ever put pen to paper, the string quartet remains the ultimate composer’s challenge. Mirroring the four human voice-types found in choral work – Soprano, Alto, Tenor and Bass, it contains the basic building blocks for any composer to write in any style or genre, and yet it remains one of the greatest challenges.
On this programme we find a set of composers, each who made a unique contribution to the genre, but each also represents their own unique relationship with the environment in which they find themselves: be it the exploration of a building, or the death of a loved one or an economic crisis that downscaled a Prince’s orchestra to a 4-piece band.
The challenge in Quartet playing is also unique for string players: blending of sound and intonation in an orchestra is easier where vibrato can help one sneak in underneath a blanket of other players, but the String Quartet demands the excellence of four soloists, one lone player per part, but who can also blend into one unit with only one heart beating between them. You can read all about it here: https://www.ctconcerts.co.za/inside-the-concert/
Tickets, including a complimentary glass of wine are at Quicket: https://qkt.io/DanteCT or at the door with credit card. They will also be performing at the Olympia Cafe on Thursday 19th at 8pm with a slightly different programme.
We do hope you will join us in welcoming these musicians to the Cape Town music scene. If you have any queries please contact me on 084 682 1337.
Kind regards
Louise Howlett
Programme
Joseph Haydn: String Quartet in B Flat, Opus 76, No 4 “Sunrise”
George Walker : Lyric for String Quartet
Caroline Shaw : Plan and Elevation
Interval
Beethoven : String Quartet in F, Opus 59, No 1 “Razumovsky” |
