Virtuosi Tasmania Inc

30th April
2nd May
2nd May
9th May

Home Hill Winery, Ranelagh
Holy Trinity Church, Cressy
Jessy Vonk, Spreyton
Koonya

String Quartet

String Quartet

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
String Quartet No 11 in F minor, Op 95 'Quartetto serioso'

I Allegro con brio II Allegretto ma non troppo III Allegro assai ma serioso – Più allegro IV Larghetto espressivo – Allegro agitato – Allegro

The Quartet comes from 1810, in the latter part of Beethoven's 'middle period', from where the majority of his most popular works derive. With a style at once taut and often violent, it was composed at the same time as his "Egmont' music.

The mood of the quartet, highly intense and disturbed, derives from the aftermath of Beethoven's failed love for Therese Malfatti. In spite of this, a sense of victory permeates final "allegro" of the last movement.

Antonín Dvoràk (1841-1904)
String Quartet No 12 in F major Op 96 'American' B179

I Allegro ma non troppo II Lento III Molto vivace IV Finale. Vivace, ma non troppo

Throughout his adult life, Dvoràk had a fascination for the indigenous music of this own country. It was logical therefore that he should absorb some of the musical culture of the "Red Indian" and "African" races that he encountered during his period in America from 1892 until 1895.

His String Quartet No 12 indeed contains elements derived from those influences, especially rhythmically, and some touches ultilising pentatonic minor scales. However, the overall style remains firmly "Slavonic".

With its wonderful lyricism and exciting rhythms, it deservedly remains one of the composer's most popular and attractive scores. The quartet received its premiere in Boston on 4th January 1894.

The performers

Chris Nicholas, Rohana Brown (violins); Willian Newbery (viola); Ivan James (cello).

5th Feb
6th Feb
7th Feb
8th Feb

Meadowbank Estate, Cambridge
St Lukes, Richmond
Belmont Vineyard, Pooley Wines
Meadowbank Estate, Cambridge

Baroque Splendor
String Trio
Jazz in the Barn
Romantic Strings

The Coal Valley Chamber Music Festival

The festival will begin with a concert of Baroque music at 7pm on Friday February 5 in the lovely acoustic of Meadowbank Estate, a picturesque vineyard just out of Richmond. The program includes JS Bach's Cantata No 199, featuring the beautiful voice of well-known Tasmanian soprano Jane Edwards, and Vivaldi's dynamic Concerto for Oboe and Strings in F major with soloist David Nuttall, Principal Oboe of the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra.

The second concert of the festival will take place at 11am on Saturday February 6 in historic St Luke's Church in Richmond village. The Trigon Ensemble will present a program of delightful string trios including Schubert's famous trio in Bb major, a trio by French composer Jean Françaix and Leo Weiner's trio in G minor.

The Trigon Ensemble is also very much a family affair. Violinist Barbara Jane Gilby is well known to Hobart audiences as past concertmaster of the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra and soloist with the Tasmanian Symphony Chamber Players on their ARIA award-winning recording of Vivaldi's Four Seasons. Barbara Jane is currently concertmaster of the Canberra Symphony Orchestra her sister Janet Rutherford is Principal Viola with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra and Janet's husband, Brett Rutherford is also a cellist in the TSO.

The third concert will take place at 11am on Sunday February 7 in the barn of the historic grand house 'Belmont' overlooking Richmond village. This venue is the home of Pooley Wines. Ticket prices for this concert include a light gourmet lunch in the courtyard.

This concert, 'A Tribute to Brubeck', features jazz, which can be considered the chamber music of the 20th century. No group exemplified the intimate chamber music style of jazz more than the Dave Brubeck Quartet. The ensemble will be led by Fred Bradshaw, a great alto sax player in the style of the legendary Paul Desmond, long-time member of the Brubeck Quartet. The other performers in the quartet are Daniel Sulzberger (piano), Steve Martin (bass) and Eric Johnstone (drums).

On Monday February 8 at 7pm the Festival concludes with a concert of great Romantic music for string ensemble at Meadowbank Estate. Considered to be one of the period's finest compositions for strings, Tchaikovsky's 'Serenade for Strings' will be featured, along with the Elgar's beautiful 'Elegy' and the 'Little Suite for Strings' by Scandinavian Romantic master Carl Nielsen.

The performers

Baroque Splendor: Elinor Levy, Rohana Brown, Anthea Hetherington, Laura Thompson (violins); Rodney McDonald (viola); Dale Brown (cello); Stephen Martin (double bass); David Nuttall (oboe); Jane Edwards (soprano).

String Trio players: The Trigon Ensemble.

Jazz in the Barn players: Fred Bradshaw (alto sax); Daniel Sulzberger (piano); Stephen Martin (double bass); Eric Johnstone (drums).

Romantic Strings players: Elinor Levy, Rohana Brown, Anthea Hetherington, Laura Thompson (violins); Rodney McDonald, Anna Larsen (violas); Dale Brown (cello); Stephen Martin (double bass).