Doric String Quartet

28 September

Haydn String Quartet Op. 33 No. 1
Britten String Quartet No. 1
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​Schubert String Quartet No. 14 in D Minor, "Death and the Maiden"

The Doric String Quartet is Alex Redington (violin), Ying Xue (violin),  Hélène Clément (viola) and John Myerscough (cello). The quartet last came to Richmond six years ago. Since then it has been building a top-quality reputation, with many appearances on air and at large venues in Britain and overseas, and a number of recordings.

Britten's String Quartet No. 1 has a particularly poignant viola part. The quartet's viola player, Hélène Clément, is privileged to have the composer's own viola on loan from the Britten–Pears Foundation, and tonight, with any luck, we'll hear that famous instrument. (It also features in the Dorics' latest recording, of Britten and Purcell, which will be on sale at the concert.)

The concert ends with Schubert's astonishing "Death and the Maiden",  one of the pillars of the chamber music repertoire.     

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Generously supported by 

Royal Northern Sinfonia

19 October

Richard Strauss Capriccio Sextet Op. 85
Wagner Siegfried Idyll
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​Mahler Symphony No. 1 (arr. Farrington)

Our favourite local orchestra returns with a superb programme. First comes the sextet from Strauss's opera, Capriccio. It's a miniature delight, which brings the composer's rich instrumental textures to a stylised recreation of elegant Rococo chamber music.

Next is Wagner's famous and instantly recognisable  Siegfried Idyll , engulfing the listener in a warm sea of gorgeousness. Lucky Cosima Wagner. Did any man ever give his wife a better birthday present? 

After the interval comes the First Symphony by Mahler, famous for the enormous scale of his instrumentation. It's rare for a chamber orchestra to play a Mahler symphony, and it needs to be a very good chamber orchestra.

The Sinfonia has attracted some of our largest audiences, and with this programme we're bound to get a packed auditorium. If you don't already have a Season Ticket, do book early.

Tonight's Guest Society is the Friends of the Swaledale Festival.

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Generously supported by 

Craig Ogden (guitar), Miloš Milivojević (accordion)

23 November

Vivaldi Guitar Concerto in D Major
​Falloni Three Pieces for Accordion and Guitar
Viktor Vlasov Five Views on Country Gulag
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D. Scarlatti Sonata for Solo Guitar K. 380
Napoléon Coste Fantaisie Dramatique 'Le Départ'
Agustín Barrios Mangoré Vals Op. 8 No. 4
Jan Truhlar Kontroverse
Albéniz España
Boccherini Introduction and Fandango

The accordion has had a distinguished but little-known history as a classical instrument. It is becoming far better known now, thanks in large part to the restrained virtuosity of Miloš Milivojevic. His duo partner Craig Ogden records and performs worldwide. Head of Guitar at the Royal Northern College of Music, he has been described by BBC Music Magazine as: “A worthy successor to Julian Bream”. NB that tonight's programme has changed a little since it was first published - it's now even better.

Tonight's Guest Society is NYMAZ - North Yorkshire Music Action Zone.

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Generously supported by Peter Denison-Edson and Hazel Smith 

The Bach Players - Pour le Souper du Roi

Wednesday 22 January, 2020 

Music by Rameau, Jacquet de la Guerre, Marais, Rebel, Anglebert, Clérambault and other composers of the age of Louis XIV, the 'Sun King', on violin, viola da gamba, theorbo and harpsichord.

The Bach Players are known for their engaging programmes of 17th- and 18th-century music, with original instruments. Their concerts are lively, informal events in which the musicians engage actively with their audiences.

​Tonight's programme paints a musical picture of chamber music presented to Louis XIV by his favourite composers. The tasks of these ‘musiciens pour la chambre du Roy’ included providing music for the king in his private rooms. Some of the best chamber music of the period was written for these occasions.

​Nous aurons le plaisir d'accueillir ce soir les membres de notre Guest Society, la Richmond French Twinning Association. 

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Generously supported by David and Angelica Carr in memory of Tom and Katherine Carr 

Solem Quartet

Wednesday 19 February

Haydn String Quartet in D Major Op. 64 no.5, "TheLark"
Bartók Quartet No. 5
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Brahms Quartet in A minor Op. 51 No. 2

The Solem Quartet is Amy Tress (violin), William Newell (violin), Alistair Vennart (viola), Stephanie Tress (cello). Founded in 2011 at the University of Manchester, the group has accumulated more prizes and distinguished mentors than would seem possible in the time, and is currently Quartet in Residence at the University of Liverpool. 

​The quartet has been commissioned to undertake a complete Beethoven and Bartók cycle, which starts in 2020 and will take place in London and Aberystwyth over a three year period.

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Generously supported by Mike Baker in memory of Pat

The Carice Singers - 'Tis Nature's Voice

Wednesday 18 March

Songs by Howells, Bax, Ireland, Janáček, Elgar, Berg, Ross Edwards, Grieg, Finzi

The Carice Singers, named after Edward Elgar's daughter, are professional performers who are known for their pure sound and imaginative approach to a wide spectrum of choral music.​ Under their Director, George Parris, they have recorded no fewer than three discs for Naxos, of music by English twentieth-century composers, which have been highly praised by reviewers. In the words of Gramophone magazine,  "Few can match the Carice Singers for musicality and beauty of tone".

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Generously supported by Judy Moorhouse