Armida Quartet
23 May 2019, 8.00pm
Penarth Pier Pavillion
| Composer | Piece | Duration | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arvo Pärt | Summa | 6' | |
| Pēteris Vasks | String Quartet No.5 | 24' | |
| Johannes Fischer | canons and sparrows | 10' | |
| Steve Reich | Different Trains For string quartet and tape |
27' |
Music by Peteris Vasks and Arvo Pärt is presented alongside Different Trains, Steve Reich’s haunting comparison of the trains of his childhood and those used in the Holocaust.
This remarkable concert is characterised by fascinating connections. At its heart is a truly post-modern quartet (2017) by composer Johannes Fischer. Diverse influences from that work radiate out into the whole concert. The opening pulsed birdsong soon encompasses virtuosic passage work and this in turn leads into repeated notes which bring to mind the world of Steve Reich’s masterpiece Different Trains (also to be heard in the concert). Fischer’s work concludes by slowing into canonic references to Bach’s Art of Fugue. We have referenced that obliquely by opening the programme with Arvo Part’s Summa. Summa is also a suitable preparation for listening to the fifth quartet by Peteris Vasks – one of the most substantial additions to the literature of the string quartet in recent times.