The Vanbrugh and their guests present a wonderfully contrasted programme in which each work is for string quartet plus a second viola. Boccherini was a contemporary of Haydn and an even more prolific writer of string chamber music; based in Spain for most of his adult life he developed a distinctive style of composition which never fails to delight.

Cellist-composer Luigi Boccherini was the quintessential composer of quintets, whose lovingly crafted works reside in a secluded, shadowed space enjoyed by lovers of melancholy. The twelve quintets for two violins, two violas and cello have yet to reach the full light of day, despite their innovative harmonies and surprising turns of events.

This is the very last of his well over one hundred quintets for various combinations. Beethoven wrote his darkly beautiful C minor piano trio Op.1 No.3 in 1795 and it became one of his most popular chamber works. He published this string quintet arrangement in 1819. West Cork Music’s Francis Humphrys writes eloquently of Dvořák’s viola quintet: ‘Its unquestioning overflowing of delicious tunes marks it as belonging to an age of innocence, unlike the intellectual questing of most contemporary music, which is entirely alien to Dvořák’s world. Instead we have an irresistibly infectious joy in music-making’

VANBRUGH & FRIENDS
Keith Pascoe, violin Marja Gaynor, violin
Simon Aspell, viola Ed Creedon, viola
Christopher Marwood, cello

PROGRAMME
Boccherini: String Quintet in E major G.402
Beethoven: String Quintet in C minor Op.104
Dvorak: String Quintet in E flat major Op.97

Presented by: University Concert Hall

*Concessions available through the Box Office