Season 2008 - 09
Six concerts from October to March in the Cowdray Hall, Schoolhill at 7.30
Monday 13th October 2008: The Auer String Quartet
Vilmos Oláh (violin), Gábor Berán (violin), Csaba Gálfi (viola), Akos Takacs (cello)
Back in 2000, our season opened with an exhilarating performance by the Auer String Quartet from Budapest. A critic in “The Scotsman” gave the concert 5 stars, and wrote: “they rise effortlessly above terrifying technical demands to produce eloquent and forthright music … their ensemble playing is perfection itself … this was an astounding Aberdeen debut for the Auer.” Not surprisingly, we have invited them back, and they will open our 2008/09 season. Founded by students at the Franz Liszt Music Academy, the quartet won the 7th London International Quartet Competition in 1997, and has played at many festivals and in famous concert halls all over the world. The quartet has recorded chamber works by Mendelssohn, Bruch and Weber and, in 2007, two volumes of quartets by the Hungarian composer, Laszlo Lajtha (1892-1963), a friend of Bartok, and famous in Hungary although little known here. Their programme will include his 7th quartet, a lively and accessible work, along with quartets by Mozart and Mendelssohn.
Monday 3rd November 2008: The Kungsbacka Piano Trio
Malin Broman (violin), Jesper Svedberg (cello), Simon Crawford-Phillips (piano)
The Kungsbacka Trio have gained an international reputation for their energy, sensitivity and interpretation in performance. They won the first prize at the first Melbourne International Chamber Music Competition in 1999, and were invited to be Radio 3 Young Generation Artists in 2000. Since then they have broadcast frequently and travelled extensively, giving concerts in many parts of the world. Two of the three are Swedish and they take their name from the village in Sweden where they first performed as a trio, and where they have established the annual Kungsbacka Festival. For further details, see the website:
A highlight of the programme will be the world premiere performance of “The Brook Sings Loud” by the young Scottish composer Helen Grime. The Aberdeen Chamber Music Club commissioned this work, which was partly funded by the Scottish Arts Council. Helen Grime was born in Ellon, Aberdeenshire, and studied at St Mary’s Music School in Edinburgh. She already has an impressive track record:
M Mus in Composition with Distinction, and multiple prize-winner from the Royal College of Music
Orchestral commission from the London Symphony Orchestra
Chamber Music commissioned for Paul and Huw Watkins
Performances of her work in the Royal Festival Hall, and the Queen’s Hall Edinburgh
Winner of the Making Music category of the 2003 British Composer Awards for her Oboe Concerto, enthusiastically reviewed by Michael Tumelty.
For more details see Helen’s CV.
The Kungsbacka Trio was delighted to be asked to perform the new work, and Helen will be present to introduce her composition. This concert will be included in s•o•u•n•d, North East Scotland’s Festival of Contemporary Music.
Monday 1st December 2008: Flute/guitar Duo
Aisling Agnew (flute), Matthew McAllister (guitar)
As well as bringing international artists to Aberdeen, our programming strategy includes encouraging home-grown talent, and we also try to bring you something a little unusual. So we are delighted that for our December concert we will hear this young flute and guitar duo. Aisling is one of Ireland’s finest young flautists, having performed in the prestigious “Guildhall Gold” series in the Wigmore Hall, and appearing as concerto soloist with the Ulster Orchestra and with the RSNO. Matthew is widely regarded as one of Scotland’s finest classical guitarists. They met while studying at the RSAMD in Glasgow, and since their debut recital in 2001, they have established themselves as a highly sought-after and popular chamber ensemble. Their programme, full of variety, will take us from Bach via Mozart, Debussy and Bizet, to the present day. Find out more at the websites:
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Monday 12th January 2009: The London Concertante
Adam Summerhayes (violin), Paul Barrett (violin), Matthew Quenby (viola), Chris Grist (cello), Benjamin Griffiths (bass), Elizabeth Drew (clarinet), Mark Smith (horn), Ben Hudson (bassoon)
Brought together by their passion for chamber music, this chamber ensemble enjoys an ever-growing reputation for exciting and memorable performances, giving around 100 concerts a year at festivals, music clubs and concert halls in the UK and abroad. To quote the “Strad” magazine: “they played with an uncanny clarity of texture in which every detail could be heard and yet all was light and colour … quite exquisite.” They will come to us as a group of strings, with clarinet, bassoon and horn, which will give us the opportunity to hear two much-loved works in one concert – Beethoven’s Septet and Schubert’s Octet. Their website is:
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Monday 9th February 2009: The Badke String Quartet
Heather Badke (violin), Emma Parker (violin), Eniko Magyar (viola), Jonathan Byers (cello)
Led by Heather Badke, this young quartet was formed in 2002, and is composed of graduates from London’s Royal Academy and Royal College of Music. The quartet performs at many festivals, and has already given concerts in the Wigmore Hall, Bridgewater Hall, St John’s Smith Square and the Royal Festival Hall. In the summer of 2007 they won the first prize and the audience prize at the 5th Melbourne International Chamber Music Competition. We have a tradition of inviting young musicians near the beginning of their careers, and the acclaim that this group has received for their energetic and vibrant performances will probably mean that this will not be their only visit to Aberdeen! Their website is:
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Monday 9th March 2009: The Psophos String Quartet and Nils Monkemeyer (viola)
Liza Schatzman (violin), Bleuenn le Maitre (violin), Cécile Grassi (viola), Eve-Marie Caravassilis (cello)
A couple of years ago, the Psophos Quartet from Paris played for a BBC Radio 3 Lunchtime recording in the Cowdray Hall, a very memorable concert. We are very pleased that they will return for our last concert of the season, bringing a second violist with them, Nils Monkemeyer. The programme will include string quintets by Mozart and Brahms, as well as a quartet. Founded in 1997, the quartet has received prizes in several competitions including Osaka, London, Florence and Salzburg in fewer than three years, and in 2001, won the Premier Grand Prix and International Press Award at the Bordeaux International Quartet Competition. Their recordings have been received enthusiastically, winning acclaim and awards in France. They are currently Radio 3 Young Generation Artists. This promises to be a grand finale to our season. Their website (in French!) is:
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