Saturday 29th March, 8pm
Keith Pascoe, violin
Marja Gaynor, violin
Simon Aspell, viola
Ed Creedon, viola
Christopher Marwood, cello
The Vanbrugh has evolved from the work of the Vanbrugh Quartet which was based in Cork as RTE’s Resident Quartet from 1986 to 2013 and as Artists-in-Residence at University College, Cork from 1990 until the retirement of violinist Gregory Ellis in 2017. Over three decades the quartet gave close to three thousand concerts, presenting the chamber music repertoire to audiences throughout Ireland, Europe, the Americas, and the Far East. Commercial recordings include more than thirty CDs of repertoire ranging from the complete Beethoven quartets to many contemporary Irish works. In 2016 the group was presented with the National Concert Hall’s Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of their contribution to music in Ireland.
Keith Pascoe, Simon Aspell, and Christopher Marwood continue to perform together as the nucleus of the Vanbrugh and are joined by guest artists for performances of a wide range of chamber music repertoire.
The Vanbrugh and their guests present two highly contrasted works from the string quintet repertoire.
Mozart’s miraculously joyful and relaxed C major string quintet dates from the spring of 1787, the same months which produced the drama of Don Giovanni and the tragedy of the G minor string quintet K.516. More adjectives have been heaped on this music: elegant, sublime, majestic, bewitching… call it what you will, they are all testament to its timeless appeal. We call it the Champagne Quintet, after its bubbly opening!
Brahm’s wrote two magnificent quintets for string quartet plus an extra viola – the F major quintet Op.88, composed in 1862-63, and the G major quintet Op.111 which followed in 1890 and which Brahms for a time thought of as his last work. But, inspired by the playing of clarinettist Richard Mühlfeld, he went on to write four last chamber music masterpieces, the clarinet trio Op.114, the clarinet quintet Op.115 and the two clarinet sonatas. For each of these works he provided the option for the clarinet part to be played on the viola and so created four treasured additions to the viola as well the clarinet repertoire. In the quintet the qualities of the viola bring a different perspective to one of Brahms’ most loved works – the all-string sonority creates a closer feeling of integration among the voices and at times the darker sound of the viola even enhances the mood of melancholy and autumnal resignation so central to the piece.
Tickets: €18 / €16 (+booking fee)
Supported by the National String Quartet Foundation and its major funders, the Arts Council and RTÉ Lyric FM.
Booking: Vanbrugh & Friends