THE SACCONI Quartet perform at the monthly Investec International String Quartets series at Leamington’s Royal Pump Rooms on Friday (October 8).
The Sacconi was originally booked to open the 2020 Leamngton Music Festival in May which was cancelled due to lockdown, so this concert will be its first appearance back in the town for ten years.
Between quartets written for Vienna by Haydn and Beethoven, there is the best-known quartet by Shostakovich, his No 8. He was to write a total of 15 quartets, one fewer than Beethoven, but Haydn beat them both with some 70 in all.
Celebrating its 20th anniversary this season, the Sacconi, which has retained the same line-up, has a busy autumn programme, including festivals in Ireland and Yorkshire.
And British baritone, Roderick Williams, will give an evening concert at King’s Hall in Warwickon Friday October 15 to celebrate the official opening of the new Music Building for King’s High School and Warwick Prep.
The concert programme, titled “The Great Outdoors…” has music by six of the best-known British composers of song in the 20th century – Butterworth, Ireland, Warlock, Gurney, Vaughan Williams and Britten.
The pianist is Susie Allan, who regularly plays and records with Roderick, and who is recognized as one of the leading interpreters of this repertoire, which enjoyed a golden age from before and following the First World War.
Roderick, who lives locally and has a big following in the area, will be giving a workshop in the new music building at King’s High School during the afternoon of the day before the recital.
The building has been in use for some months, but the concert to mark its opening, originally announced for a date in May 2020, had to be postponed because of the pandemic.
Festival director Richard Phillips said: “We are so pleased to continue our close relationship with Roderick Williams, who manages to combine his international career with an enormous contribution to the musical scene locally. And in English song, he is supreme, so October 15 is a must-be-there event.”
Visit www.leamingtonmusic.org for full details. Tickets for all Leamington Music concerts are available at www.royalspacentreandtownhall.co.uk or by calling 01926 334418.
