LUNCHTIME RECITAL
Velvet Quartet
(Participant: 2025 Wigmore Hall International String Quartet Competition)
FREE ADMITTANCE
Retiring Collection
The Programme
Ezgi Su Apaydin – violin
Laura Muskare – violin
Patricia Gomez Carretero – viola
Frederick Winterson – cello
String Quartet in A minor, Op 13 No 2
1. Adagio – Allegro vivace
2. Adagio non lento
3. Intermezzo: Allegretto con moto – Allegro di molto
4. Presto – Adagio non lento
String Quartet No 2, ‘The Spaniard’
1. Animato
2. Tempo di Menuetto
3. Cantabile
4. Energico
Commissioned by Wigmore Hall and Britten Pears Arts
COMPOSER’S NOTE
Shortly after completing my Second Quartet, I realised that all of its formal features reminded me of moments from Beethoven’s quartets. An edgy, conversational opening followed by a long cello tune; an athletic minuet and trio; a hymn-like slow movement; and a second scherzo for the finale, ending with an extended, impassioned coda. I hadn’t intended to write a Beethoven homage; but neither was the resemblance to my favourite quartet composer a coincidence. So my subtitle is also an oblique reference to him. ‘The Spaniard’ was Beethoven’s nickname at home in Bonn, on account of his “short, stocky build” and “dark-brown facial complexion”; according to his Bonn contemporary and neighbour, Gottfried Fischer.
Judith Weir (December 2023)
The Artists
The Velvet Quartet is a Participant in the 2025 Wigmore Hall International String Quartet Competition.
The Velvet Quartet, founded in 2020, unites four young musicians from Turkey, Latvia, Germany and Spain.
Based between Essen and Berlin, the ensemble’s journey began under the guidance of Andreas Reiner, with their artistic development continuing under the direction of Oliver Wille. Since then, they have been mentored by Quatuor Ébène, the Belcea Quartet and Cuarteto Casals, among others. The quartet has received recognition in competitions, including First Prize at the 2024 Gianni Bergamo Classic Music Award in Lugano, and has taken part in events such as the String Quartet Biennale at the Philharmonie de Paris as well as being resident at the Vibre! String Quartet Festival in Bordeaux, France.
As recipient of a scholarship from the Werner Richard–Dr Carl Dörken Foundation, the quartet performed a series of concerts across Germany and was featured live on German radio (WDR3). The Velvet Quartet is also a member of the Le Dimore del Quartetto programme. In addition to its dedication to the classical repertoire, the Velvet Quartet actively engages in interdisciplinary collaborations – for example, last season and this season the musicians partnered with dancers from Essen’s Aalto Theater Ballet Company in ‘Last’.
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