The Engegård Quartet

Part of the Roman River Festival 2025 - See all concerts here.

Formed under the midnight sun in Lofoten in 2005, The Engegård Quartet has become one of Norway's most esteemed ensembles. Their performances blend bold interpretations of classical repertoire with a deep connection to their Scandinavian heritage. The quartet's debut CD was hailed as 'breathtaking' by The Strad, and their second release won Pizzicato magazine's 'Supersonic Award'. They have graced prestigious venues such as Salzburg's Mozarteum and Prague's Rudolfinum, and have collaborated with renowned artists including pianists Sir András Schiff and Leif Ove Andsnes. 

This special concert opens our 25th Anniversary Festival: we love this venue - it's so small, the sound is marvellous wherever you are sitting and the atmosphere is intimate and welcoming. It’s not the only reason we are delighted to be back in St Andrew's in Fingringhoe; it was here the first ever performance that sparked what was to become Roman River Music and, ultimately, Wild Arts, was held and we are also thrilled that Juliet Jopling, our first Artistic Director, will be performing with the quartet she went on to help found in Norway.

The concert will also feature a Young Artist Spotlight by Cyrus Yuen, who is pursuing a Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Cyrus has already performed at major venues including the Barbican Centre, Milton Court Hall, Bechstein Hall, Hong Kong Cultural Centre, Victoria Music Centre in Barcelona and given solo performances with the Sewanee Festival Orchestra in the USA. His accolades include the EYMT Norman Harper Prize, support from several trusts, and prizes at the Victoria BCN International Violin Competition and Essex Young Musicians Competition.

The concert - and festival - will open with a duet between Juliet Jopling on viola and Cyrus Yuen, on violin. It’s a fitting metaphor for a festival that has, over the past twenty-five years, not only shared some of the most beautiful music ever composed with its audience, but also passed it on to the next generation.

Ticket holders for this concert are invited to a pre-concert drinks party to celebrate the opening of this 25th Anniversary Festival - full details are on the ticket confirmation letter.

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Mozart only returned to Salzburg for one brief period after he left for Vienna in 1781, spending from July to the end of October 1783 there with his wife Constanze. Just two exquisite duos for violin and viola come from this period, apparently written as a friendly favour for composer Michael Haydn (younger brother of the great Joseph Haydn), who for reasons of acute ill health was unable to complete a commissioned composition.

Edvard Grieg’s String Quartet in G minor, Op. 27 (which the quartet has been playing for almost 20 years, and recorded twice on disc) is a passionate and dramatic work composed in 1877–78. Rich with Norwegian folk influences and lyrical intensity, it reflects Grieg’s nationalist spirit. The quartet’s powerful opening motif - derived from his own song “Spillemaend” - recurs throughout the piece,  giving it a cohesive, almost symphonic character. It remains a cornerstone of Scandinavian chamber music, admired for its emotional depth and innovation.

Mozart’s Divertimento in B-flat major, K. 137, composed in 1772 during his time in Salzburg, reflects the elegance and charm of his early style. Written when he was just sixteen, it features three movements filled with lyrical melodies, graceful phrasing, and light textures. Though modest in scope, the piece reveals Mozart’s developing mastery of form, balance, and expressive nuance in chamber music.

From psalms to polkas, Norway's folk music tradition has been part of the quartet's repertoire from the start. By researching, writing, and performing their own arrangements for string quartet, Engegård celebrate their deep connection to their Nordic roots.

PROGRAMME

Mozart Duo for violin and viola no.1 in G Major, I. Allegro | Juliet Jopling & Cyrus Yuen

Ysaye - Ballade No.3 op.27 | Cyrus Yuen

Cyrus plays a Pierre Hel violin on generous loan from the Harrison-Frank Family Foundation.

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Edvard Grieg - String Quartet in G minor, Op. 27

Interval

W.A. Mozart - Divertimento in B-flat major, KV 137
Norwegian Folk Melodies

Duration: approx. 1 hour 55 mins (incl. 20-minute interval)

Planning: Doors open from 7.30 for an 8pm start. Please allow ample time for parking along the road (the Village Hall carpark will be full because of a Social Club event.) 

Jacqueline Taber's pictures will be available to view during this half hour window, the interval, and after the concert when we hope you will stay to enjoy a glass of wine, and meet the performers and the artist.

Please note that Amanda Horn will be replacing Laura Custodio Sabas as violinist for the quartet for 2025.

Arvid Engegård | violin
Amanda Horn | violin
Juliet Jopling | viola
Jan Clemens Carlsen | cello

Arvid Engegård plays a Jean Baptiste Vuillaume violin (1858) on loan from Dextra Musica. Laura Custodio Sabas plays a Jean Baptiste Vuillaume violin (1857). Juliet Jopling plays a Pietro Giovanni Mantegazza from Milano (1790) on loan from Dextra Musica and Jan Clemens Carlsen plays a Giacomo Zanoli cello (1737) on loan from Dextra Musica.

Tickets £15 – £40 (and £15 for under 30s)

Reduced visibility seats available.

Photo credits: Lars Bryngelsson

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Celebrating 25 Years of Artists-in-Residence
Over the past quarter century Roman River Music has invited many highly recognised local artists to be part of the festival. Their work has been both incorporated into the stage sets for concerts and on the cover of our programmes. This year, rather than invite a new one to join this illustrious roster, we are looking back to fête all of those who have been so wonderfully part of Roman River Festival. At each of the larger concerts this year, the work of a particular artist will be on display and sale, and the artist themself will be there to discuss their work.

At this concert, we will be marking the contribution of Jacqueline Taber RBA, who is known for her fine still lives. Born in London, she studied art in Florence, working at the Uffizi and training with Signorina Simi. She continued in restoration and later returned to painting, exhibiting regularly at the Mall Galleries, The Royal Academy Summer Exhibition as well as solo exhibitions both in the UK and abroad, notably at the Russell Gallery in London and with the Colchester Art Society and the Geedon Gallery in Fingringhoe, which she runs. Jacqueline is a member of the Royal Society of British Artists, the Art Workers’ Guild, and the Colchester Art Society. She was our festival Artist-in-Residence in 2011: http://www.geedongallery.co.uk/

We are also lucky to have artist, painter, photographer, poet and sculptor Julie Cuthbert's Roman Soldiers guarding the church entrance. These artworks were created for the Roman River festival when she was our Artist-in-Residence in 2018; multi-talented, her ties with Roman River Music are strong, having been a festival trustee and youth co-ordinator for us as well. Julie sculpts in metal using both new and existing materials, subverting an object from its previous use and giving it a new lease of life and meaning - these Roman Soldiers, made from abandoned farm implements, echo the Biblical phrase 'swords into ploughshares'. https://www.jcuthbert.com/

Both Julie and Jacqueline will be at the concert and delighted to talk about their work with members of the audience. 

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