BIOGRAPHY CONWAY HALL SUNDAY CONCERTS

Patrons - Stephen Hough, Prunella Scales CBE, Roderick Swanston, Hiro Takenouchi, Petroc Trelawny and Timothy West CBE Director of Music - Simon Callaghan

In 2009, as a result of a passionate interest in Classical and Romantic , Manon Derome formed the ZOFFANY ENSEMBLE with three very special colleagues; Catherine Musker, known for her wonderfully expressive and characterful playing, Anthony Pleeth, greatly respected for his musical Sunday Feburary 19th 2017, 6:30pm integrity and renowned abilities as a player, and Michael Dussek, recognised for his acclaimed qualities of nuance and sensitivity that have made him such a successful chamber musician and accompanist.

The Zoffany Ensemble performs many of the greatest works in the chamber music repertoire by Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Schumann and Brahms, and also music by more neglected composers such as Louise Farrenc and Anton Arensky. From time to time other players, with whom ZOFFANY Manon has a close affinity, are added to the group as the repertoire demands.

The ensemble takes its name from the German-born, neoclassical artist and founding member of the Royal Academy, Johann Zoffany, whose paintings, as well as portraying eminent actors such as David ENSEMBLE Garrick, often depicted the nobility in their pursuit of musical entertainment. Zoffany came to London in 1760, and from around 1770 - 1800 produced work of exceptional quality, much of it now displayed in the National Gallery, the Tate Gallery and the Royal Collection. NEXT AT CONWAY HALL VIOLIN MANON DEROME Sunday Feburary 26th 2017 CATHERINE MUSKER Pre-concert Talk at 5:30pm ANTHONY PLEETH JESSICA BECK An exploration of how Conway Hall Ethical Society PIANO MICHAEL DUSSEK was unique in comparison to other societies and some of the forgotten women musicians who contributed to the society’s rich musical history. Main Recital at 6:30pm * We are hugely grateful to the CAVATINA Chamber Music Trust for their ALBION QUARTET support in providing free tickets for those aged 8-25. Bach The Art of Fugue BWV 1080 Contrapunctus I Haydn Quartet in C Op. 20 No. 2 Schumann Quartet in A minor Op. 41 No. 1 Bach The Art of Fugue BWV 1080 Contrapunctus 9 Walton Quartet in A minor Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter to stay updated about concerts and news.

Conway Hall Sunday Concerts are an integral part of the charitable activities of Conway Hall. Please turn off all mobile phones and electronic devices. Conway Hall’s registered charity name is Conway Hall Ethical Society (n o . 1156033). No recording and photographing allowed at any time. PROGRAMME PROGRAMME NOTES MOZART PIANO QUARTET IN G MINOR K478 (1785) A few years before his ill-timed death, Mozart grasped an opportunity from German publisher Franz Anton Hoffmeister to write three piano quartets. The Piano Quartet in G minor was his first to be composed. (1756-91) However, it proved unwelcomed by the public for its technical demands and greater expressive colour. PIANO QUARTET IN G MINOR K478 (1785) The Allegro introduces a forceful unison theme, bringing the dark G minor shadow to the fore before the piano and strings engage in some neat melodic and textural interaction. The Andante provides a balm I. Allegro of breathing space with a calming atmosphere in the relative major and a seamless texture composed of II. Andante rippling scalic and arpeggio passagework. The Rondo skips through in the tonic major with joyful rhythms and articulation. After a brief unsettling episode in E minor, the movement returns to its entertainment III. Rondo: Allegro capacity with an interrupted cadence into E flat major, before galloping towards the final resolution.

SCHUMANN PIANO QUARTET IN E FLAT OP. 47 (1842) (1810-56) If 1841 were the so-called ‘year of symphonies’ for Robert Schumann (when he wrote all four of PIANO QUARTET IN E FLAT OP. 47 (1842) his symphonies), then the year after would be dubbed the ‘year of chamber music’ for the German I. Sostenuto assai - Allegro ma non troppo Romanticist. In a period of unwavering artistic energy, Schumann composed an abundance of masterful chamber works, including his only Piano Quartet. Following the ponderous introduction, which II. Scherzo: Molto vivace incidentally reappears just before the development section, the Allegro ma non troppo gallops away III. Andante cantabile catching little breath in its crisp melodic and rhythmic flow. The Scherzo is skittish yet fluid, sparked with an infectious urgency that puts weight on the untamed pulse. Honey-toned melodies and a graceful IV. Finale: Vivace harmonic backdrop nestle up with each other in the aria-like third movement, before the Finale strikes a forte hammer that ignites a blaze of fugal textures, driving dynamics and somersaulting melodies to conclude the work in dazzling spirit.

MAHLER PIANO QUARTET IN A MINOR (1876) Many glorify Gustav Mahler as a towering figure in the world of symphonic music. However, the Austrian composer was also artful in chamber music – from numerous song cycles to a sole movement for piano quartet he wrote as a student but never completed. Mahler began writing the Piano Quartet at the Gustav Mahler (1902-11) Vienna Conservatory, but since then only this movement and remnants of a second Andante have been uncovered. With so much musical thought and profundity put into one single movement, it is easy to PIANO QUARTET IN A MINOR (1876) overlook the fact that Mahler composed this piece during his youth. From the wistful introduction to the central tempestuous outburst, moments of rhythmic energy and turbulence evolve into more lyrical contemplations in a musical drama that may well have the likes of Brahms and Beethoven up on their feet.

Johannes Brahms (1833-97) PIANO QUARTET IN C MINOR OP. 60 ‘WERTHER’ (1875) BRAHMS PIANO QUARTET IN C MINOR OP. 60 ‘WERTHER’ (1875) I. Allegro non troppo The nickname ‘Werther’ of Brahms’ Piano Quartet in C minor not only stems from Goethe’s novel II. Scherzo: Allegro of the same name (whose protagonist meets a suicidal fate), but it also parallels the conversation he had with his close publisher Simrock when Brahms said that the cover should show a picture of III. Andante a head with a gun pointed at it! This piece has a thrilling narrative that rivals many of his C minor IV. Finale: Allegro comodo works like his First Symphony and . The piano strikes a bare yet unsettling octave on C to introduce the first movement and set the tone for its assertive and complex journey through a sea of emphatic and lyrical gestures. The wildly boiling Scherzo and the calming melodic river of the Andante ensue in this characteristically Romantic melodrama, before Brahms seals the fate of the protagonist in this work with a restless and strident Finale full of neat textural and melodic interplay. Tonight’s performance will finish at approximately 8:30pm. © Isaku Takahashi 2017