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Innovative string quartet play at a chamber music festival

  • From £12 | St John's Waterloo 73 Waterloo Road London, England, SE1 8TY United Kingdom (map)
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the performers:

Solem Quartet

the programme:

Adès The Four Quarters + Beethoven Quartet No. 13 in B-flat

about the music:

The string quartet is one of the most powerful ensembles in classical music. Since the mid-1700s, composers and audiences have been inspired by the combination of two violins, a viola and a cello. In fact, many 21st-century composers are still writing great music for string quartets.

In this fantastic early-evening performance, you’ll get a rare chance to hear both a classic Beethoven quartet and a quartet written in 2011 by British composer Thomas Adès.

The concert starts with Adès’ The Four Quarters, a piece that traces the daily cycle of day and night through four sections. Adès is often admired in the music world for the ingeniously complex patterns he uses to construct his pieces.

But The Four Quarters isn’t worth listening to just because it’s clever. Adès uses patterns to create beautiful new and otherworldly sounds and structures that will capture your imagination.

Have a listen to the first movement, Nightfall, to get an idea of the piece’s dark magic - the high violin parts and the menacing viola and cello below are a hypnotic combination.

The second piece the Solem Quartet will play is Beethoven’s thirteenth string quartet, one of the famous composer’s last works.

It’s got fast, furious and fun moments, but this bit (the fifth movement) is our favourite. It’s an unusual combination of impassioned and serene. Listen to the clip below, and see if its understated and heartfelt melodies do anything for you.

about the performers:

The Solem Quartet are one of the UK’s most exciting young chamber ensembles. They’ve won numerous awards and performed in many of the world's most famous venues. We know they’re just the right people to bring this music to life.

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the venue:

This event is part of the Spotlight Chamber Festival, taking place at St John’s Waterloo throughout December. It’s run by the same people who put together this summer’s stunning Bandstand Chamber Festival in Battersea Park.

All of the concerts in the series will take place ‘in the round’, with socially distanced seats surrounding the performers (check out the set-up in the image below).

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The venue will be transformed with dramatic lighting - only spotlights centred on the musicians will light the space (hence the name of the festival) - ensuring a truly unique immersive atmosphere.

the price:

£12 (for balcony seats. £20 for standard seats + £30 for premium)

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9 December

A converted warehouse in Islington hosts a string trio

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12 December

Concert of Christmas music by candlelight