National String Quartet Concerts in Cork

 

VANBRUGH & FRIENDS ON TOUR THIS WEEK The Vanbrugh & Friends play Schubert's string quintet (also known as his 'cello quintet') in concerts October 4th-6th. Monumental, intimate, dreamy, earthy, triumphant, despairing, this extraordinary piece is all of these and more. It was the last completed work of the terminally ill 31 year old composer and is one of the greatest and most loved chamber music works. In Minane Bridge and Kilkenny they will also play Rimsky-Korsakov’s 1876 string sextet. It is, in contrast to the Schubert, a seldom played rarity, but it is full of charm and invention, exploiting the rich sonority of the six instruments to the full and featuring a lyrical slow movement as well as spectacularly virtuosic fast movements Here are your booking links: CORK UCC - Friday 4th October at 1.10pm - presented by UCC’s FUAIM series - (Schubert only) CARRIGALINE - Saturday 5th October at 8pm - Inkwell Theatre, Minane Bridge P17 NP40 - presented by Tracton Arts and Community Centre KILKENNY - Sunday 6th October at 3pm - Parade Tower, Kilkenny Castle - presented by Music in Kilkenny CLICK HERE for your concert programme for Minane Bridge and Kilkenny CLICK HERE for your concert programme for UCC CLICK HERE for our facebook promo including a video clip of the Schubert, played by the Vanbrugh & Friends ESPOSITO QUARTET ON TOUR NEXT WEEK OCTOBER 9-13 The Esposito Quartet's programme opens with Beethoven’s light-hearted A major quartet from his Op.18 set of six quartets, written as he was turning 30 years of age. Modelled on Mozart’s A major quartet K.464 written just 15 years earlier, it features an extraordinary set of variations and a scampering, energised finale. Paul Frost’s An Old Song, Half Forgotten, written for the Abbey’s 2023 play of the same name, is followed by Tomáš Ille’s magical, achingly beautiful arrangement for string quartet of Janáček’s piano work In the Mists. Hugo Wolf’s Italian Serenade is the desert, rounding off a wonderful programme Members of the quartet have made these short videos introducing the pieces on the programme: Joachim Roewer introduces the Beethoven Quartet  Mia Cooper introduces Janáček's 'In the Mists' Mia Cooper introduces Hugo Wolf's 'Italian Serenade' Here are your booking links: MULLINGAR - Wednesday 9th October at 8pm - Áras an Mhuilinn - presented by Mullingar Arts Centre CARRICK-ON-SHANNON - Thursday 10th October at 8pm - The Dock KENMARE - Friday 11th October at 6pm - Carnegie Arts Centre CORK - Saturday 12th October at 1pm - Triskel Arts Centre (Beethoven, Frost, Janáček) DUBLIN - Sunday 13th October at 3pm - National Concert Hall PIROSMANI QUARTET HIGHLIGHT Here is a treat for any of you that missed the Pirosmani Quartet's extraordinary performance of Dvořák's G major quartet: the iconic opening of the slow movement, from the Cork concert, CLICK HERE UPCOMING TOURS FOR YOUR DIARY We've 49 concerts in 10 tours during the autumn, reaching out to every part of the country. Here are those still to come, with clickable links to details of each: Vanbrugh & Friends (4-6 October) Esposito Quartet (9-13 October) Solas Quartet (16-20 October) Lir Quartet (24-27 October) Lumiere Quartet (6-10 November) Vanbrugh & Friends (15-17 November) Banbha Quartet (19-26 November) Ficino Quartet (4-8 December) ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Thanks and appreciation to our funders, sponsors and co-presenters, the Arts Council, RTÉ Lyric FM, the National Concert Hall, University College, Cork, Cork City Council, Cork County Council, the Contemporary Music Centre, many private donors, and all the venues and promoters we work with around the country.  DONATIONS There is constant financial pressure on the Foundation as we work to bring great concerts to audiences nationwide, so all donations, no matter how small, are very gratefully received. As we are a registered charity, donations over €250 also attract tax relief, greatly adding to their value to the Foundation. If you would like to join our supporters, there is a donations page on our website here: https://nsqf.ie/donate with best wishes Chris