Overview
The Elias Quartet take their name from Mendelssohn’s oratorio, Elijah. They formed at the Royal Northern College of Music where they worked closely with the late Dr Christopher Rowland and later became Junior Fellows and Associate Quartet. They also spent a year studying at the Hochschule in Cologne with the Alban Berg String Quartet. For four years they were resident quartet at Sheffield’s ‘Music in the Round’ as part of Ensemble 360, taking over from the Lindsays.
Their four concerts explore how various composers were influenced by Beethoven, and the different directions that this took them in – within the string quartet medium – taking us from Schubert, Schumann and Mendelssohn, through to Brahms, Smetana and Ravel. The programme would of course not be complete without some works by Beethoven himself – we hear his String Quartets Op.127 and Op.95 (Serioso). The Elias Quartet also decided to include some arrangements of Scottish folk tunes (Tuesday evening) by their own violinist, Donald Grant – who is also a respected Scottish fiddle player.
Concert 1: Monday 4 June, 5.15pm
Pre-concert talk at 4.45pm
Beethoven, Quartet in E flat, Op.127
Schumann: Quartet in A, Op.41 No.3
Concert 2: Tuesday 5 June, 11.00am
Pre-concert talk at 10.30am
Beethoven, Quartet in F minor, Op.95 Serioso
Shostakovich, Quartet No.7
Mendelssohn, Quartet No.2 in A minor, Op.13
Concert 3: Tuesday 5 June, 5.15pm
Pre-concert talk at 4.45pm
Ravel, String Quartet in F
Smetana, Quartet No.1 in E minor, From My Life
Donald Grant, Scottish folk tunes
Concert 4: Wednesday 6 June, 11.00am
Pre-concert talk at 10.30am
Dvořák, Quartet in E flat, Op.51
Brahms, Quartet in A minor, Op.51 No.2
Prices – per person
Single occupancy: single room £710; double for single use £760. Two sharing: standard double/twin £730; superior double £800; junior suite £840; suite £940.
Included
Admission to all concerts and pre-concert talks; accommodation for two nights at The Swan Hotel & Spa; breakfasts; two afternoon teas; two dinners; interval drinks; programme booklet; tips for hotel staff.
Accommodation
The Swan Hotel & Spa, Lavenham: The Swan has been an inn since 1667, is one of the loveliest and best-known small-town hotels in England. It spreads through a number of contiguous half-timber buildings which date to the 15th and 16th centuries. The hotel does not have a lift and there are limited bedrooms on the ground floor – so please contact us if you have specific access requirements.
Tickets to individual concerts
£20 evenings or £15 mornings. Each ticket includes admission to the concert and pre-concert talk, an interval drink and programme booklet.
