Primrose Piano Quartet

Pre-concert talk by musicologist Roderick Swanston at 5.30pm: Light From Darkness.

Two of the works in this evening’s programme have a troubled history. Brahms’s C minor piano quartet has been alleged to have been associated with his covert relationship with Clara Schumann, while Chausson’s quartet was finished by Vincent d’Indy after the composer became the first to be killed in a cycling accident. The objectification of art allowed both composers to explore passions through the construction of their music. This talk will explore both works in some detail.

Main Recital at 6.30pm: Primrose Piano Quartet

Susanne Stanzeleit - violin
Dorothea Vogel - viola
Andrew Fuller - cello
John Thwaites - piano

Beethoven: Quintet in E flat Op.16 (arr. Beethoven)
Chausson: Piano Quartet in A Op.30

INTERVAL

Brahms: Piano Quartet in C minor Op.60

The Primrose Piano Quartet was formed in 2004 and is named after the great Scottish violist, William Primrose. Alongside their performances of the major repertoire, the Primrose Piano Quartet have researched widely the forgotten legacy of twentieth-century English composers, and have revived a number of remarkable and neglected piano quartets. Their award-winning recordings feature works by Dunhill, Hurlstone, Quilter, Bax, Scott, Alwyn, Howells and Frank Bridge. Sir Peter Maxwell-Davies wrote his Piano Quartet for the Primrose Piano Quartet in 2008; this twenty-minute piece premièred at the Cheltenham Festival and was recorded in 2009 for the Meridian label.