The Dublin-based chamber group the Ficino Ensemble, formed in 2013, has made a name for itself with inventive concert programming and stylish playing. We first came across them playing the Prokofiev G minor Quintet back-to-back with Schubert’s Octet in the Irish Georgian Society Rooms in December 2014 and each concert since has confirmed the initial impression that this is an ensemble worth following. August sees them presenting a short recital series for the first time, with four Thursday lunchtime concerts in the National Concert Hall’s John Field Room.
The series kicks off on August 4 with an unusual take on the Viennese chamber music tradition, placing one of Beethoven’s Op. 9 Piano Trios alongside a rarely-heard work by the young Richard Strauss, the Piano Quartet in C minor. By contrast, the second concert (August 11) presents Olivier Messiaen’s amazing Quartet for the End of Time, a piece composed while he was prisoner-of-war. The concert on August 18 returns to the Viennese style with Franz Schubert’s much-loved Piano Quintet. The series ends on August 25 with a concert entitled ‘Rhythm, Dance, and Folk Melodies’ and brings together music by two seriously under-performed artists of the mid-20th century, Erwin Schulhoff and George Enescu. For further details, see: http://www.ficinoensemble.com/ficino-ensemble-at-the-nch.html
Majestic Sonorities: Thursday 4th August 2016, 1.05pm
Ludwig van Beethoven: String Trio, Op. 9 No. 2
Richard Strauss: Piano Quartet in C minor
Devastating Beauty: Thursday 11th August 2016, 1.05pm
Olivier Messiaen: Quartet for the End of Time
Divine Frenzy: Thursday 18th August 2016, 1.05pm
Franz Schubert: Quintet in C major, D. 956
Rhythm, Dance and Folk Melodies: Thursday 25th August 2016, 1.05pm
Erwin Schulhoff: Five Pieces for String Quartet
George Enescu: Octet Op.7
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John Field Room, National Concert Hall; Tickets €12 are available from www.nch.ie. (€10 Concessions)
Contact the National Concert Hall box office for booking details