Saturday, January 27, 2007
New DVD and Reviews January 07
26 January 2007
We are very pleased to announce the release of the DVD of the Wihan Quartet’s very special 20th Anniversary Concert at the Rudolfinum, Prague in December 2005.
The concert included Haydn Quartet Op76/3 ‘Emperor’, Dvorak Quartet Op96 ‘American’ and Schubert’s C Major Quintet for two cellos with
Jamie Walton, cello. See www.wihanquartet.com/discography
If you would like a copy of this DVD for £15 including p&p please contact Pamela Majaro on 020 7435 8479 or by email cdsales@wihanquartet.com.
The 20th Anniversary concert coincided with the release of the final CD of the Wihan’s Beethoven Series of recordings for Lotos and in delightful symmetry I can now announce that the Wihan Quartet will be giving the very first cycle of all the Beethoven Quartets in Prague.
The series will take place in St Agnes Cloister, Prague from October 2007 to March 2008:
18 Oct 2007 op.18/1,op.14/1,op.59/1
8 Nov 2007 op.18/2,op.74,op.131
6 Dec 2007 op.18/3,op.59/3,op.127
17 Jan 2008 op.18/4,op.95,op.132
7 Feb 2008 op.18/5,op.135,op.59/2
13 Mar2008 op.18/6,op.133,op.130
Please contact Upbeat Classical Management on 01895 259 441 or admin@upbeatclassical.co.uk if you would like further information about this series
The 10 box set of the Wihan’s Beethoven recordings is available from Pamela Majaro at a cost of £50 +£3 p&p. Single CDs are £10+ £1p&p
The Wihan received wonderful reviews following their concerts in November in Kendal and in December* at the Wigmore Hall and we have attached the glowing reviews below. The Quartet will be in the UK again in February when they will be performing Brahms, Schumann and Dvorak Quintets with the outstanding young Czech pianist Martin Kasik. You will also find the list of the Quartet’s forthcoming concerts below.
An important date for your diary: 26 June 2007 when the Wihan will again be performing at the Wigmore Hall. Their programme will include Haydn ‘Emperor’ Quartet, Mendelssohn Op44/2, Dvorak Piano Quintet and the premiere of Roxanna Panufnik’s ‘Cavatina and Moravian Dance’, commissioned by the CAVATINA Chamber Music Trust.
The Quartet look forward to seeing you at one of their UK concerts and do hope that you will also be able to make the trip to Prague for their historic Beethoven cycle.
Westmorland Gazette
Kendal Midday Concert Club
Wednesday 29 November 2006
The Kendal Midday Concert Club’s most recent visitor was the Wihan String Quartet from Czechoslovakia and, as is usually the case as soon as the first notes are played, the Concert Club’s composite, discerning musical ear knew that it could look forward to a splendid concert. An encore – the slow movement from Dvorak’s A flat Op.105 quartet, played in honour of the players’ homeland – was an amalgam of their strengths, which throughout the programme had been presented in rich abundance; technical mastery, beauty of tone in all registers, immaculate intonation, spacious, flexible phrasing, near perfect balance and ensemble work, attention to a wealth of detail, rhythmic assurance and a thorough understanding and projection of the piece’s ‘raison d’être’.
Previously, two quartets - Beethoven’s F minor Op.95 and Ravel’s F major – had been played with awesome authority. The Beethoven is a work of contrasts; wit, seriousness, humour, passion and tenderness are all present and the players, enabled by their peerless technical facilities, illuminated its glories magnificently. Emphatically spirited statements vied with poetic moments and with crisply articulate passages whilst the unifying factor was the constant search for beauty – beauty of line, of tone, of blend.
The Ravel – a sea of change, if ever there was one, in character and mood – received an absorbing performance that merely heightened our appreciation of the Wihan’s supreme musicianship. Qualities that will long remain etched in the memory are the warmth and depth of tone that highlighted the score’s shimmering colours, the virtuosic technical display, not only of bowing but also presentation of the wonderfully varied effects Ravel creates. The pungent rhythmic drive, too, was ever present as was the total – focused concentration of all four players.
A stunning concert!
Brian Paynes
* Wihan Quartet
@ Wigmore Hall, London, 17 December 2006
Wihan Quartet Sunday mornings on London's Wigmore Street are usually a quiet affair. The constant flow of traffic subsides, the population of passers-by dwindles, and the sounds of general hustle and bustle are reduced as the area lies in wait for the start of a new week.
Pop your head inside the local concert venue, however, and you'll find an intense buzz of excited anticipation.
Alongside its regular line-up of evening performances, the Wigmore Hall houses a number of daytime recital series that always have much to offer.
The "Sunday Morning Coffee Concerts", all held at 11.30am, are one of these concert series, allowing the audience to witness approximately one hour of chamber or solo instrumental music from world-class musicians at a very reasonable £10 per ticket.
The most recent instalment in this set of concerts witnessed two arresting performances by the renowned Wihan Quartet. Given the Czech background of all four members of the ensemble, as well as the man after which it was named (the Bohemian 'cellist Hanus Wihan, a close friend of Dvorák's and the dedicatee of the famous B-minor 'Cello Concerto Op. 104), it was no surprise to see the programme dominated by a work from "back home". In this particular instance it was Dvorák's String Quartet in A-flat major Op. 105, the composer's final piece of "absolute" instrumental music (the G-major Quartet Op. 106 was, in fact, written before Op. 105).
Though on the very cusp of his switch to programme music and his return opera, Dvorák was able to produce an instrumental work – "conventional" both in form and medium – of remarkable freshness and vitality, two characteristics that were brilliantly conveyed by the Wihan Quartet in this rendition. This was a thrilling rollercoaster ride that journeyed through many and disparate sentiments, from the tragic yearning of the third-movement Lento e molto cantabile to the heartfelt contentment of the ensuing Allegro ma non tanto. Though it seems unfair to single out any particular players from a group that emitted such a rich and unified timbre during the course of the entire performance, the iridescent tone of lead violinist Leos Cepicky was a continual source of pleasure, particularly in the soaring melodies of the second-movement scherzo.
The ensemble's own biography speaks of a "spellbinding sound" and, on this occasion at least, this was an entirely apt description. As is increasingly popular in both chamber and orchestral settings, 'cellist Ales Kasprík was sat between the second violin and the viola. Much debate surrounds this practice (the alternative being for the 'cello and viola to exchange places), its acoustic and its "correctness". Though it is not a personal favourite of mine, the Wihan Quartet certainly put forward a convincing argument through their music. Violist Jirí Zigmund, who stands to lose the most from this setting because his sound production naturally travels away from the auditorium, was a joy to watch, constantly turning to the audience as if he were handing his glorious phrases to those in attendance.
The concert had begun with an intense performance of Beethoven's String Quartet in F minor Op. 95, "Serioso". Though the first movement occasionally lacked a sense of direction, the overall effect of this account was simply awe-inspiring. The stately Allegretto ma non troppo, deftly moulded by the composer, was treated by the Wihan Quartet like a fine and delicate tapestry as the players delivered the intricately woven themes with loving sensitivity. The aura created by this performance was so entrancing that the subsequent Allegro assai vivace, ma serioso came as a real jolt to the system. Both this and the last movement were played with great verve as the quartet displayed simultaneously their musicianship and their virtuosity. The sense of restlessness created in Allegretto agitato of the finale was of the "edge-of-your-seat" variety. Indeed, on more than one occasion it appeared as if second violinist Jan Schulmeister was on the verge of leaping out of his chair, such was the excitement of the performance.
After the music-making had come to a close, all patrons were invited to have coffee or sherry (included with one's ticket) in the foyer or the Bechstein Room, thus ensuring that the warm, welcoming ambience in the concert hall did not end with the final clap of applause. It is this particularly congenial, civilised atmosphere of the Sunday Morning Coffee Concerts that serves both as a perfect end to the previous week, and an idyllic way to embark on the forthcoming seven days.
- William Norris
Feb 17 Darlington Music Society, Tel: 01325 486555
Darlington Arts Centre, DL3 7AX, 7.30pm
Haydn Op 64/5 ‘The Lark’, Schubert ‘Rosamunde’,
Schumann Piano Quintet
Feb 19 Hoylake Chamber Concert Society
St Hildeburgh Church, 7.30pm
Dvorak Op 96, Smetana ‘From My Life’, Beethoven Op130
Feb 20 Rodewald Concert Series, Tel: 0151 709 3789
Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool, L1 9BP, 7.30pm
Haydn Op 76/3, 'Emperor', Beethoven Op 95 'Serioso',
Schumann Piano Quintet
Feb 21 Newcastle Chamber Music Society, Tel: 0191 443 4661
The Sage Gateshead, Gateshead, NE8 2JR, 7.30pm
Mozart Adagio & Fugue K546, Dvorak Piano Quintet Op 81, Brahms Piano Quintet
Feb 24 Barrandov Opera
Needham Market, Suffolk, IP6 8HG, 7pm
Haydn Op64/5, Schubert ‘Rosamunde’, Dvorak Piano Quintet
Feb 25 Oxford Chamber Music Society, Tel: 01865 305305
Holywell Music Room, Oxford, OX1 3SW, 2.45pm
Haydn Op 64/5, Schubert ‘Rosamunde’, Schumann Piano Quintet
Feb 27 Nottingham Music Society Tel: 08444 775678
Concert Hall, Congregation Centre, Nottingham, 7.30pm
Mozart Adagio and Fugue, Schumann Piano Quintet and
Brahms Piano Quintet
Feb 28 Abbotsholme Music Society, Tel: 01543 263304
Abbotsholme School, Staffordshire, ST14 5BS, 8pm
Mozart Adagio & Fugue K546, Dvorak Piano Quintet Op 81,
Brahms Piano Quintet
Mar 2 Bromley Music Club, 7.30pm
Mozart Adagio & Fugue K546, Dvorak Piano Quintet Op 81,
Brahms Piano Quintet
Mar 3 Bournemouth Chamber Music Society, Tel: 01202 761881
Talbot Heath School, Bournemouth, BH4 9NJ, 3pm
Mozart Adagio & Fugue, Schumann Piano Quintet,
Dvorak Piano Quintet Op 81
We are very pleased to announce the release of the DVD of the Wihan Quartet’s very special 20th Anniversary Concert at the Rudolfinum, Prague in December 2005.
The concert included Haydn Quartet Op76/3 ‘Emperor’, Dvorak Quartet Op96 ‘American’ and Schubert’s C Major Quintet for two cellos with
Jamie Walton, cello. See www.wihanquartet.com/discography
If you would like a copy of this DVD for £15 including p&p please contact Pamela Majaro on 020 7435 8479 or by email cdsales@wihanquartet.com.
The 20th Anniversary concert coincided with the release of the final CD of the Wihan’s Beethoven Series of recordings for Lotos and in delightful symmetry I can now announce that the Wihan Quartet will be giving the very first cycle of all the Beethoven Quartets in Prague.
The series will take place in St Agnes Cloister, Prague from October 2007 to March 2008:
18 Oct 2007 op.18/1,op.14/1,op.59/1
8 Nov 2007 op.18/2,op.74,op.131
6 Dec 2007 op.18/3,op.59/3,op.127
17 Jan 2008 op.18/4,op.95,op.132
7 Feb 2008 op.18/5,op.135,op.59/2
13 Mar2008 op.18/6,op.133,op.130
Please contact Upbeat Classical Management on 01895 259 441 or admin@upbeatclassical.co.uk if you would like further information about this series
The 10 box set of the Wihan’s Beethoven recordings is available from Pamela Majaro at a cost of £50 +£3 p&p. Single CDs are £10+ £1p&p
The Wihan received wonderful reviews following their concerts in November in Kendal and in December* at the Wigmore Hall and we have attached the glowing reviews below. The Quartet will be in the UK again in February when they will be performing Brahms, Schumann and Dvorak Quintets with the outstanding young Czech pianist Martin Kasik. You will also find the list of the Quartet’s forthcoming concerts below.
An important date for your diary: 26 June 2007 when the Wihan will again be performing at the Wigmore Hall. Their programme will include Haydn ‘Emperor’ Quartet, Mendelssohn Op44/2, Dvorak Piano Quintet and the premiere of Roxanna Panufnik’s ‘Cavatina and Moravian Dance’, commissioned by the CAVATINA Chamber Music Trust.
The Quartet look forward to seeing you at one of their UK concerts and do hope that you will also be able to make the trip to Prague for their historic Beethoven cycle.
Westmorland Gazette
Kendal Midday Concert Club
Wednesday 29 November 2006
The Kendal Midday Concert Club’s most recent visitor was the Wihan String Quartet from Czechoslovakia and, as is usually the case as soon as the first notes are played, the Concert Club’s composite, discerning musical ear knew that it could look forward to a splendid concert. An encore – the slow movement from Dvorak’s A flat Op.105 quartet, played in honour of the players’ homeland – was an amalgam of their strengths, which throughout the programme had been presented in rich abundance; technical mastery, beauty of tone in all registers, immaculate intonation, spacious, flexible phrasing, near perfect balance and ensemble work, attention to a wealth of detail, rhythmic assurance and a thorough understanding and projection of the piece’s ‘raison d’être’.
Previously, two quartets - Beethoven’s F minor Op.95 and Ravel’s F major – had been played with awesome authority. The Beethoven is a work of contrasts; wit, seriousness, humour, passion and tenderness are all present and the players, enabled by their peerless technical facilities, illuminated its glories magnificently. Emphatically spirited statements vied with poetic moments and with crisply articulate passages whilst the unifying factor was the constant search for beauty – beauty of line, of tone, of blend.
The Ravel – a sea of change, if ever there was one, in character and mood – received an absorbing performance that merely heightened our appreciation of the Wihan’s supreme musicianship. Qualities that will long remain etched in the memory are the warmth and depth of tone that highlighted the score’s shimmering colours, the virtuosic technical display, not only of bowing but also presentation of the wonderfully varied effects Ravel creates. The pungent rhythmic drive, too, was ever present as was the total – focused concentration of all four players.
A stunning concert!
Brian Paynes
* Wihan Quartet
@ Wigmore Hall, London, 17 December 2006
Wihan Quartet Sunday mornings on London's Wigmore Street are usually a quiet affair. The constant flow of traffic subsides, the population of passers-by dwindles, and the sounds of general hustle and bustle are reduced as the area lies in wait for the start of a new week.
Pop your head inside the local concert venue, however, and you'll find an intense buzz of excited anticipation.
Alongside its regular line-up of evening performances, the Wigmore Hall houses a number of daytime recital series that always have much to offer.
The "Sunday Morning Coffee Concerts", all held at 11.30am, are one of these concert series, allowing the audience to witness approximately one hour of chamber or solo instrumental music from world-class musicians at a very reasonable £10 per ticket.
The most recent instalment in this set of concerts witnessed two arresting performances by the renowned Wihan Quartet. Given the Czech background of all four members of the ensemble, as well as the man after which it was named (the Bohemian 'cellist Hanus Wihan, a close friend of Dvorák's and the dedicatee of the famous B-minor 'Cello Concerto Op. 104), it was no surprise to see the programme dominated by a work from "back home". In this particular instance it was Dvorák's String Quartet in A-flat major Op. 105, the composer's final piece of "absolute" instrumental music (the G-major Quartet Op. 106 was, in fact, written before Op. 105).
Though on the very cusp of his switch to programme music and his return opera, Dvorák was able to produce an instrumental work – "conventional" both in form and medium – of remarkable freshness and vitality, two characteristics that were brilliantly conveyed by the Wihan Quartet in this rendition. This was a thrilling rollercoaster ride that journeyed through many and disparate sentiments, from the tragic yearning of the third-movement Lento e molto cantabile to the heartfelt contentment of the ensuing Allegro ma non tanto. Though it seems unfair to single out any particular players from a group that emitted such a rich and unified timbre during the course of the entire performance, the iridescent tone of lead violinist Leos Cepicky was a continual source of pleasure, particularly in the soaring melodies of the second-movement scherzo.
The ensemble's own biography speaks of a "spellbinding sound" and, on this occasion at least, this was an entirely apt description. As is increasingly popular in both chamber and orchestral settings, 'cellist Ales Kasprík was sat between the second violin and the viola. Much debate surrounds this practice (the alternative being for the 'cello and viola to exchange places), its acoustic and its "correctness". Though it is not a personal favourite of mine, the Wihan Quartet certainly put forward a convincing argument through their music. Violist Jirí Zigmund, who stands to lose the most from this setting because his sound production naturally travels away from the auditorium, was a joy to watch, constantly turning to the audience as if he were handing his glorious phrases to those in attendance.
The concert had begun with an intense performance of Beethoven's String Quartet in F minor Op. 95, "Serioso". Though the first movement occasionally lacked a sense of direction, the overall effect of this account was simply awe-inspiring. The stately Allegretto ma non troppo, deftly moulded by the composer, was treated by the Wihan Quartet like a fine and delicate tapestry as the players delivered the intricately woven themes with loving sensitivity. The aura created by this performance was so entrancing that the subsequent Allegro assai vivace, ma serioso came as a real jolt to the system. Both this and the last movement were played with great verve as the quartet displayed simultaneously their musicianship and their virtuosity. The sense of restlessness created in Allegretto agitato of the finale was of the "edge-of-your-seat" variety. Indeed, on more than one occasion it appeared as if second violinist Jan Schulmeister was on the verge of leaping out of his chair, such was the excitement of the performance.
After the music-making had come to a close, all patrons were invited to have coffee or sherry (included with one's ticket) in the foyer or the Bechstein Room, thus ensuring that the warm, welcoming ambience in the concert hall did not end with the final clap of applause. It is this particularly congenial, civilised atmosphere of the Sunday Morning Coffee Concerts that serves both as a perfect end to the previous week, and an idyllic way to embark on the forthcoming seven days.
- William Norris
Feb 17 Darlington Music Society, Tel: 01325 486555
Darlington Arts Centre, DL3 7AX, 7.30pm
Haydn Op 64/5 ‘The Lark’, Schubert ‘Rosamunde’,
Schumann Piano Quintet
Feb 19 Hoylake Chamber Concert Society
St Hildeburgh Church, 7.30pm
Dvorak Op 96, Smetana ‘From My Life’, Beethoven Op130
Feb 20 Rodewald Concert Series, Tel: 0151 709 3789
Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool, L1 9BP, 7.30pm
Haydn Op 76/3, 'Emperor', Beethoven Op 95 'Serioso',
Schumann Piano Quintet
Feb 21 Newcastle Chamber Music Society, Tel: 0191 443 4661
The Sage Gateshead, Gateshead, NE8 2JR, 7.30pm
Mozart Adagio & Fugue K546, Dvorak Piano Quintet Op 81, Brahms Piano Quintet
Feb 24 Barrandov Opera
Needham Market, Suffolk, IP6 8HG, 7pm
Haydn Op64/5, Schubert ‘Rosamunde’, Dvorak Piano Quintet
Feb 25 Oxford Chamber Music Society, Tel: 01865 305305
Holywell Music Room, Oxford, OX1 3SW, 2.45pm
Haydn Op 64/5, Schubert ‘Rosamunde’, Schumann Piano Quintet
Feb 27 Nottingham Music Society Tel: 08444 775678
Concert Hall, Congregation Centre, Nottingham, 7.30pm
Mozart Adagio and Fugue, Schumann Piano Quintet and
Brahms Piano Quintet
Feb 28 Abbotsholme Music Society, Tel: 01543 263304
Abbotsholme School, Staffordshire, ST14 5BS, 8pm
Mozart Adagio & Fugue K546, Dvorak Piano Quintet Op 81,
Brahms Piano Quintet
Mar 2 Bromley Music Club, 7.30pm
Mozart Adagio & Fugue K546, Dvorak Piano Quintet Op 81,
Brahms Piano Quintet
Mar 3 Bournemouth Chamber Music Society, Tel: 01202 761881
Talbot Heath School, Bournemouth, BH4 9NJ, 3pm
Mozart Adagio & Fugue, Schumann Piano Quintet,
Dvorak Piano Quintet Op 81
