News: National Concert Hall Announces New Chamber Music Series for Autumn/Winter

Carducci Quartet (10th September 3pm) | Contempo Quartet (24th September 3pm) | Esposito Quartet (8th October 3pm) | Marmen Quartet (22nd October 3pm) | Gaelán Quartet (12th November 3pm) | Navarra Quartet (26th November 3pm) | Ficino Quartet (10th December 3pm)  Sundays at 3pm in the National Concert Hall’s Kevin Barry Recital. Presented in association with the National String Quartet Foundation. Tickets: €17.50. ON SALE Thursday 1st June 10am from www.nch.ie (10% Discount for Friends of NCH) 

Media Release Tuesday 30th May 2023 

 
The National Concert Hall is pleased to announce a new series of Chamber Music concerts featuring highly respected and admired Irish string quartets to perform an exciting programme of new works (commissions and premieres) by Irish and International composers alongside chamber music favourites from 10th September to 10th of December 2023.  

Presented in association with the National String Quartet Foundation, all concerts in the series will take place on Sunday afternoon in the intimate surrounds of the National Concert Hall’s Kevin Barry Recital Room, giving audiences the opportunity to get up close to the music while enjoying the natural acoustics of the hall.  

On the 10th of September, the acclaimed Carducci Quartet will open the series with Shostakovich’s charming and brilliant first quartet. Donnacha Dennehy’s Pushpulling is followed by the Dublin premiere of Peter Gregson’s beautiful and evocative Three Parallels. Beethoven’s second Rasoumovsky quartet rounds off a stunning programme.   

On the 24th of September the ConTempo Quartet perform Rebecca Clarke’s serenely beautiful Poem from 1924. Jane O’Leary’s 2005 ConTempo Conversations are framed in the ConTempo Quartet’s programme by two of the quartet greats, Haydn’s witty Joke quartet and Schubert’s epic masterpiece, his posthumously published G major quartet.  

On the 8th of October the Esposito Quartet features one of John Kinsella’s finest works, his 1977 third quartet, and Grammy award-winning Rhiannon Giddens’ At the purchaser's option. The performance is bookended with an entertaining Haydn quartet and finishing with Brahms’ joyful B flat major quartet.  

On the 22nd October, Cork cellist Sinead O’Halloran’s remarkable Marmen Quartet opens their programme with Haydn’s D major quartet Op.33/6 and Schubert’s ephemeral Quartetsatz. Garth Knox’s newly commissioned Secret Letters is followed by Janáček’s Intimate Letters, his famously vivid and impassioned story of spiritual love.  


On the 12th of November, the Gealán Quartet present a new quartet by Derry composer Michael Doherty and Schumann’s gorgeous A minor quartet. Bartók’s intensely expressive second quartet, from 1917, is built around the stunning, frenetic virtuosity of its second movement.  

On the 26th Of November, Brian O’Kane’s celebrated Navarra Quartet plays Mozart’s much-loved D minor quartet and the third of Elizabeth Maconchy’s fine series of thirteen quartets. They end with Tchaikovsky’s towering third quartet, perhaps most memorable for its exquisite slow movement.  

Finally, on the 10th of December Cellist-composer Ailbhe McDonagh presents her newly commissioned second quartet as part of this concert by the Ficino Quartet. Osvaldo Golijov’s hauntingly beautiful Tenebrae is followed by Shostakovich’s short, enigmatic seventh quartet. The series ends with Brahms’ glorious A minor quartet.  


The NCH Chamber Music Series Autumn is presented by the National Concert Hall in association with the National String Quartet Foundation. Click here for full details.  


ENDS 

Media Queries: Sinead Doyle, Marketing & PR Manager, National Concert Hall, Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin 2. Tel: 01-4170077/ 087-1775334 or sinead.doyle@nch.ie or Roisin Dwyer, PR & Publications Executive, National Concert Hall 01-4170077 / 086-7129628 roisin.dwyer@nch.ie