ChamberMusicBox - Piano Quintets by Fauré and Shostakovich
Thu 23 May 2024 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM BST
St. Cuthbert's Church, Earl's Court, SW5 9EB
Description
"An open, imaginative and technically impeccable group that it would be folly not to follow".
ChamberMusicBox returns to St Cuthbert's for an evening of sublime 20th-century piano chamber music, juxtaposing Fauré's impassioned, but rarely performed, first Piano Quintet with Shostakovich's beloved masterpiece.
"A perfect afternoon of music". "Amazing!" These are just some of the audience reactions to what has rapidly becoming a favourite amongst London's classical music lovers since the series' inception in 2016. ChamberMusicBox combines leading international artists with imaginative and daring repertoire choices to present programmes which aim to combine the much-loved with unfamiliar gems, all in a relaxed and inclusive setting.
Its Artistic Directors, violinist Yuri Kalnits and cellist Julia Morneweg, had a vision to explore and perform a vast spectrum of chamber music repertoire with their like-minded and exceptionally talented friends, to promote mutual respect and empathy in the community through music-making of rare passion and generosity, and for audiences to be part of that shared experience.
With countless appearances on the big international stages, dozens of prizes at some of the world’s most prestigious competitions, and a host of acclaimed recordings between them, this group of outstanding musicians thrives on creating concert programmes as diverse as they are unique, often presenting chamber music classics alongside rarely performed works in more unusual formations.
Having built an enthusiastic following with their London concert series, ChamberMusicBox became one of the first arts organisations to pioneer socially distanced live concerts in a wide range of settings during the Covid-19 pandemic. Making use of spaces ranging from church yards to glasshouses, the group staged more than 20 concerts across London, Surrey, Sussex, Suffolk and Kent. They rose to international attention in the summer of 2021 with the staging of their Fermata Festival, which brought together some of the UK’s finest musical talent with an exhibition of visual artworks created by classical musicians during lockdown, featuring works by artists such as Sir Stephen Hough, Moray Welsh, Roger Vignoles, Nathaniel Boyd and many others.
At once a celebration of the arts as well as a tribute to the sheer resilience, resourcefulness and indefatigability of those within the profession, the festival was featured in publications such as The Strad, Pizzicato, and Australia’s Limelight Magazine.
Since 2021, ChamberMusicBox has been performing not only in their own series, but for leading chamber music promoters and festivals across the UK and abroad. Amongst recent highlights were the opening concert of the 2023 Swaledale Festival, recitals at the London School of Economics and Concerts at Cratfield as well as a tour of the West Country under the auspices of Concerts in the West. In 2022 ChamberMusicBox gave their International debut as part of the prestigious Pharos Arts Foundation series in Nicosia Cyprus.
Deeply committed to introducing classical music to children and young people, ChamberMusicBox curates tailor-made education programmes ranging from instrumental masterclasses for institutions such as the Cyprus Youth Symphony Orchestra and the Music for the Future initiative in Ljubljana, to school projects across the UK, the latest of which, “A Magic Beyond”, is currently delivering a year-long immersive and interactive music experience to Key Stage 2 pupils in a London state primary school.
PROGRAMME:
Gabriel Fauré
Piano Quintet no. 1 in d minor Op. 89
Dmitri Shostakovich
Piano Quintet in g minor Op. 57
ARTISTS:
Yuri Kalnits violin | Joana Valentinaviciute violin | Matthew Kettle viola | Julia Morneweg cello | Ilya Kondratiev piano
This concert is generously supported by the Cavatina Chamber Music Trust
Location
St. Cuthbert's Church, Earl's Court, SW5 9EB