The final concert of the 2013-2014 Season of the 'Enescu Concerts' Series takes us on an Arcadian musical journey, guided by the brilliant young Romanian string quartet that has borrowed the name of the famous place of fulfilment and bliss. The Arcadia Quartet has conquered the musical world in 2012 when they emerged as winners of the Wigmore Hall London International String Quartet Competition. Recommended by BBC Music Magazine as being "astonishing in their emotional commitment and dramatic timing [...] with formidable technical skill", they will be here to lift you in the heaven of chamber music. The programme of the evening features one of the most concentrated of Enescu's works, the second 'String Quartet', alongside other classical masterpieces by Haydn and Mendelssohn.
The Arcadia Quartet are:
Ana Török - violin
Răsvan Dumitru - violin
Traian Boală - viola
Zsolt Török - cello
Programme:
Joseph Haydn: 'String Quartet' in E flat Major Op. 50, No. 3
George Enescu: 'String Quartet' in G Major Op. 22, No. 2
Felix Mendelssohn: 'String Quartet' in E minor Op. 44, No. 2
Winners of the Wigmore Hall London International String Quartet Competition in 2012, the Almere International Chamber Music Competition in 2011 and the International Chamber Music Competition Hamburg in 2009, the Arcadia Quartet are rapidly establishing themselves as one of the most exciting string quartets of their generation. Formed in 2005 while students at the 'Gheorghe Dima' Music Academy in Romania, the quartet have since performed across the world, from the Budapest Spring Festival, George Enescu Festival in Heidelberg, Cite International des Arts in Paris, Alte Oper Frankfurt, to Pollack Hall in Montreal and Amsterdam Concertgebouw. The 12/13 Season saw them perform at the Wigmore Hall, Q'arto Mondi Festival in Poland, Salle Gaveau in Paris, in Israel, Portugal, at the Mecklenburg Vorpommern Festival, Kammermusiktage Mettlach, Zeist Music Days Festival in The Netherlands, Music at Paxton, George Enescu Festival in Romania and the opening night of the Beethoven Piano Competition at the Musikverein, in Vienna. Last autumn the quartet were, as part of their Wigmore Hall London International String Quartet Competition Prize, touring the United Kingdom and Ireland, performing at HHH Concerts, Oxford Chamber Music Society, Lakeside Arts Center, Leamington Music, Cheltenham Music Society, Chichester Chamber Concerts, Norfolk and Norwich Music Club, Alnwick Music Society, Pollok House Arts Society, Milngavie Concert Club, Aberdeen Chamber Music Concerts, Kelso Music Concerts, Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, Limerick, Galway, Drogheda and Kilkenny. Further performances this year include concerts in Romania, Austria, Germany, The Netherlands and a residency at the renowned Banff Centre in Canada.
The Arcadia Quartet's debut CD of works by Mendelssohn and Brahms was released by Fontenay Classics in 2009 attracting critical acclaim. Ensemble Magazine wrote of "their intimate performance", "their exceptional sonority" and their "expressive power which leaves a deep impression on the listener". A recording of Janacek Quartets No. 1 and No. 2 was recently released on the Orchid Classics label.
When: Thursday, 5 June, 7pm
Where: Romanian Cultural Institute, 1 Belgrave Square, SW1X 8PH
Admission is free, but places are limited. Please confirm your attendance at T: 020 7752 0134, E: office@icr-london.co.uk
Seats are allocated on a first come, first served basis.
