REVIEW: String quartet stun audience with music by Haydn and Mozart at Clitheroe concert

Clitheroe Concerts Society’s first concert in 2019 was an outstanding success with an audience of more than 100 enjoying the Stonebridge String Quartet playing Haydn, Shostakovich and Tchaikovsky.
Clitheroe Concerts Society welcome back Stonebridge String Quartet who treated audiences to music by Haydn, Shostakovich and Tchaikovsky. (s)Clitheroe Concerts Society welcome back Stonebridge String Quartet who treated audiences to music by Haydn, Shostakovich and Tchaikovsky. (s)
Clitheroe Concerts Society welcome back Stonebridge String Quartet who treated audiences to music by Haydn, Shostakovich and Tchaikovsky. (s)

Joseph Haydn’s Sunrise quartet is one of his finest compositions, a good beginning to any concert! It has a lively and fascinating start, when groups of notes are swapped between the instruments. Unusually, the viola and the cello are emphasised. Thrilling music, well played.

The second piece was very different in time, mood and atmosphere. Composed in Dresden just after the Second World War, Shostakovich had suffered two major traumas. He had been diagnosed with an incurable wasting disease and had reluctantly agreed to join the Communist Party. His eighth string quartet is unusual as in five inter-connected movements and could possibly be an epitaph to himself. Not easy music to listen to, the skilful playing of the Stonebridge Quartet made it understandable and interesting.

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The second half of the concert, Tchaikovsky’s String quartet No. 1, was composed midway in time between the first two pieces and a much more “solid” feeling piece of music, not surprising because his first idea was for an orchestral piece. Well known and loved for its second movement, the Andante Cantabile, it was again played beautifully and made an excellent end to the evening. We are privileged to have such a high quality string quartet in the North-West.

The concert society’s next event will be a piano recital by the internationally acclaimed pianist Martin Roscoe, who also has both North West and Clitheroe connections. Martin is Vice-President of the Society. His visit to us next Wednesday is his ninth, having first played in December 1976.

See https://clitheroeconcerts.org/season-2018-19/martin-roscoe/ for details and advance ticket sales. Tickets are also available from the Platform Gallery.