New Town Concerts is a registered charity no SCO15893
New Town Concerts
2023-24 Season
Monday 11th December 2023 at 7.45pm
Elias Quartet
Schubert: Quartettsatz in C minor D703
Peteris Vasks: Quartet no 3
Mendelssohn: String Quartet No 2 in A min Op 13
Since their breakthrough as BBC Radio 3's New Generation Artists in 2009 the Elias String Quartet's exceptional ability to communicate musical meaning has led to an international following. They perform in the world's most prestigious chamber venues across Europe and the US and this year undertook a residency at Suntory Hall, Tokyo. This programme comprises Schubert's thrilling 'Quartettsatz', one of six string quartets by Latvia's Peteris Vasks who counts Arvo Pärt as one of his 'spiritual relatives' and concludes with one of Mendelssohn's most passionate early works.
"Simply astounding, in the freshness, intensity, assurance, and seeming spontaneity of their playing" BBC Music Magazine
Monday 12th February 2024 at 7.45pm
Barbican Quartet
Haydn: String Quartet in B flat major Op 50 No 1
Berg: String Quartet Op 3
Beethoven: String Quartet in A minor Op 132
The Barbican Quartet is an original voice on the chamber music scene, based between London and Munich, delighting audiences with their intimately powerful performances and virtuosic ensemble playing. A multi award-winning ensemble, they made their Wigmore Hall debut in 2017 and were first prize winners of the 2022 ARD International String Quartet Competition. A varied programme begins with the first of Haydn's "Prussian" quartets, continues with Alban Berg's two movement quartet Opus 3, and culminates in one of Beethoven's late, great quartets written towards the end of his life and including one of his most sublime movements, dedicated by the composer as: "A Convalescent's Holy Song of Thanksgiving to the Deity, in the Lydian Mode."
"Finely structured and virtuosically balanced..." Süddeutsche Zeitung
Free tickets for 8 - 25 year-olds!
New Town Concerts Society is delighted to announce membership of CAVATINA Chamber Music Trust which exists to encourage more young people to attend chamber music concerts. CAVATINA operates a Ticket Scheme under which young people can obtain free tickets for certain chamber music concerts. Up to 50 free tickets will be available free of charge for all New Town Concerts (except the piano recitals) for any young person aged 8 to 25 inclusive. Please encourage young people you know to discover the delights of chamber music. Tickets available via the Queen's Hall box office either in person or by phone (0131 668 2019).
Reviews
Carolyn Sampson and Joseph Middleton
23rd October 2023
Carolyn used the whole range and power of her voice tonight from her delicate delivery of Schubert’s ‘An die Musik’ to the very modern sounds of ‘Parfum de l’instant’ by Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho. Her programme was wide including quite a lot of French music, as well as songs by Wolf, Brahms, Marx and Franck, and ending with songs for sleep by Samuel Barber and Ivor Gurney. In her concert she was greatly aided by her accompanist Joseph Middleton who is now acknowledged as one of the leading pianists and accompanists of our time; his accompaniment tonight was perfect, delicate, melodic and enabling the beauty of Carolyn’s voice to shine. They both got a very warm reception from a decent sized audience in the Queens Hall and Carolyn rewarded us with an encore, a beautiful rendition of Strauss’s ‘Morgen’. it was a perfect end to a sparkling evening.
Edinburgh Music Review
Monday 18th March 2024 at 7.45pm
Nash Ensemble
Beethoven: Clarinet Trio in B Flat, Op 11
Stravinsky: 'The Soldier's Tale' suite for clarinet, violin and piano
Debussy: Cello Sonata
Ravel: Piano Trio
New Town Concerts is delighted to welcome back the Nash Ensemble, described by The Sunday Times as "chamber music royalty". Acclaimed for its exceptional performances, the ensemble has won numerous accolades including The Edinburgh Festival Critics award "for general artistic excellence" and two Royal Philharmonic Society awards in the chamber music category "for the breadth of its taste and its immaculate performance of a wide range of music." Four of its highly acclaimed musicians will perform a virtuoso programme for clarinet, violin, cello and piano.
"Performances of exemplary standard customarily expected from the Nash Ensemble" The Gramophone.
Adrian Brendel, Jack Liebeck ,Alasdair Beatson, Kaupo Kikkas