The string quartet is no stranger to Galway audiences, in no small part thanks to the tireless work of the ConTempo Quartet.
With its 23rd Midwinter Festival running at the Town Hall Theatre from 23rd to 25th of January, Music for Galway seeks to celebrate the versatility of the string quartet and to ‘extend it’ by pairing it up with a variety of different musicians to perform quartets, quintets, sextets and even an octet to finish.
A celebration of the great musicians Ireland has to offer, the festival presents a clarinettist, a soprano, a pianist, an uilleann piper and two string quartets.
MfG also invites its young Cellissimo Ambassador, Spanish cellist Margarita Guerrero Martínez, to participate in one of the concerts.
Artistic Director of Music for Galway Finghin Collins commented: “It was great fun devising and planning this weekend featuring some of the most glorious chamber music of all time. I have long been fascinated by the versatility of the string quartet and by all the many ways one can add to it.”
“It also gave me the perfect excuse to present some of my favourite string works – Brahms’s second string sextet, Mozart’s second viola quintet, Tchaikovsky’s Souvenir de Florence and the boy genius Felix Mendelssohn’s outstanding octet, which should restore anyone’s faith in humanity.”
“To hear one of these works in a weekend would be a joy – to hear them all will be total indulgence! This festival will happen just once – right here in Galway. Get your year off to the perfect start and don’t miss it!”
Each of the four festival concerts works as a kind of crescendo, starting smaller and extending up.
The opening concert commences with the first quartet by the ‘father of the string quartet’, Joseph Haydn, follows with the piano quintet by American composer Amy Beach (with Sligo pianist Aileen Cahill) and finishes with the luscious second string sextet by Johannes Brahms.
This pattern of ‘building up’ continues throughout the weekend as various partners join either the ConTempo Quartet or the Gealán Quartet (both with Galway roots) to perform a dazzling array of repertoire from four centuries.
Saturday features two short concerts with no interval – the afternoon concert juxtaposes works by two very different Austrian composers: Arnold Schoenberg’s second string quartet with its unusual use of the soprano voice in the final two movements – sung by the Galway soprano Aisling Kenny – and Mozart’s hauntingly beautiful G minor viola quintet.
The evening concert features Shostakovich’s moving Eighth string quartet followed by Tchaikovsky’s lyrical and virtuosic evocation of Florence, written for two violins, two violas and two cellos.
On Sunday, audiences get the rare chance of hearing a piece for uilleann pipes and string quartet with a short work by Amanda Feery, commissioned in 2018 by the then Galway Music Residency and Galway City Council for the ConTempo Quartet and piper Pádraic Keane.
The clarinet shines in a performance of Weber’s clarinet quintet, featuring Dublin clarinettist Macdara O’Seireadáin, while the festival culminates with Mendelssohn’s life-affirming Octet for double string quartet – written at the ripe old age of 16.
CEO of Music for Galway Anna Lardi, “We are very grateful to everyone who has made the upcoming Midwinter Festival possible. The University of Galway has supported Music for Galway for many decades, and we are delighted to have their support again this January.”
“Furthermore, we are grateful to MusicConnects who once again partner with us to present our wonderful friends, the ConTempo Quartet. We look forward to filling the Town Hall Theatre in Galway with the magic of music from four centuries!”
Standard Ticket prices for the concerts start at €20, with 10% concession to people aged over 66. Solidarity Tickets are available from €10 to children, full-time students, people in receipt of job seeker allowance, disability and carer allowance, as well as to people seeking refuge.
Tickets can be booked from www.musicforgalway.ie or Town Hall Theatre 091 569777. There is a festival ticket available at €75 / concession €67.50.
The Midwinter Festival is presented in association with the University of Galway and with the support of Galway City Council. ConTempo Quartet is presented by MusicConnects.
Music for Galway gratefully acknowledges funding from the Arts Council.
