60th Season
From October 2013 to March 2014
Cavaleri Quartet
Saturday 5th October 2013, 7.30pm
Berkhamsted Civic Centre
| Mozart | String Quartet in D minor K 421 |
| Janáček | String Quartet No 2 ‘Intimate Letters’ |
| Beethoven | String Quartet in E flat Op 74 ‘The Harp’ |
The Cavaleri Quartet was formed in 2008 by Anna Harpham (violin), Ciaran McCabe (violin), Ann Beilby (viola) and Rowena Calvert (cello). They have gained a reputation as one of the leading European string quartets. They were first prize winners and recipients of the Brahms and Mendelssohn Prizes in the 2012 Hamburg International Chamber Music Competition and ‘Special Prize’ winners in the 2011 Premio Paolo Borciani International String Quartet Competition.
While Anna Harpham is on maternity leave her place has been taken by Martyn Jackson, who made his recital debut at the Southbank Centre’s Purcell Room last autumn, and has frequently served as Assistant Concertmaster of the LSO and the Philharmonia.
Benjamin Frith, piano
Saturday 9th November 2013, 7.30pm
Berkhamsted Civic Centre
| Haydn | Sonata in C minor Hob XVI No 20 |
| Beethoven | Sonata in F minor ‘Appassionata’ Op 57 |
| Stanford | Dante Rhapsody No 1 Op 92 ‘Francesca’ |
| Liszt | Sonata in B minor |
www.mbam.co.uk/pianists/benjamin-frith.html
Having achieved rave reviews from his American and Edinburgh Festival debuts, Frith established himself as an international concert artist. He has appeared with many of the world’s finest orchestras including the Berlin Symphony, Israel Philharmonic, City of Birmingham Symphony, Polish National Radio, and the BBC Philharmonic. He has worked with many leading conductors such as Zubin Mehta, Antoni Wit, Vasary, Skrowaczewski, Bamert, Atzman and Barry Wordsworth.
The Musicke Companye ‘A Yuletide Tale’
Saturday 14th December 2013, 7.30pm
Berkhamsted Civic Centre
| Philippa Hyde | soprano |
| Tim Carleston | counter-tenor |
| Daisy Vatalaro | baroque cello |
| Helen Rogers | harpsichord and chamber organ |
A seasonal tale told by The Musicke Companye: the age-old story of Christmas interwoven with tales of sumptuous feasts, bitter frosts and even some dancing at a magnificent New Year’s Ball. Poetry, diaries and words by Samuel Pepys, John Evelyn, William Austin and Helen Rogers. Music by Monteverdi (Exulta Fillia Sion), Grandi (Hodie nobis de caelo), Scarlatti (Salve Regina), Purcell (Let us Dance), Arne (Blow, blow thou winter wind) and Mozart (Ah, vous dirai-je mamon?) alongside traditional carols. A fabulous evening of drama and revelry.
Shiry Rashkovsky, viola, with Robin Green, piano
Saturday 8th February 2014, 7.30pm
Berkhamsted Civic Centre
| Clarke, Rebecca | Sonata for viola and piano |
| Vieuxtemps | 6 Morceaux, suivis d’un capriccio, Op 6 Capriccio |
| Jongen, Joseph | Allegro Appassionato |
| Reger | Suite for Solo Viola in G minor Op 131d |
| Brahms | Sonata for Piano and Clarinet No 2 in E-flat major Op 120 |
| Paganini | ‘La Campanella’ arr. W. Primrose |
Shiry Rashkovsky is a versatile musician; her performances have taken her across the globe. She gave her Royal Festival Hall debut in October 2012, and is a member of the Countess of Munster Musical Trust Recital Scheme. She was the 2012 Philharmonia Orchestra Meyer Award holder, performing under the batons of Esa-Pekka Salonen, Lorin Maazel, and Christoph von Dohnanyi among others. Robin Green enjoys an active career as a chamber musician, piano accompanist, and conductor. With Antoine Françoise, he performs as the Françoise-Green piano duo.
Navarra Quartet
Saturday 8th March 2014, 7.30pm
Berkhamsted Civic Centre
| Schubert | String Quartet No 8 in B-flat major, D 112 |
| Vasks | String Quartet No 3 |
| Beethoven | String Quartet No 13 in B flat Op 130 |
The Navarra Quartet was formed in 2002 at the Royal Northern College of Music. They are now Quartet in Association at the RNCM. In 2005 the Quartet won 1st prize at the Florence International Competition, and in 2007 they won 2nd Prize at the Melbourne International Competition. Since then they returned to Australia to give recitals in Melbourne, Sydney and the Huntingdon Estate Music Festival, and have appeared at Wigmore Hall, Bath Festival and Aldeburgh. Future engagements include return visits to Wigmore Hall and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. The members of the quartet are Magnus Johnston (violin), Marije Ploemacher (violin), Simone van der Giessen (viola) and Brian O’Kane (cello).
