Ben Holland and David Greed (violins) Kimi Makino (viola) Adrian Bradbury (cello)
Joseph Haydn - Quartet in Bb, op 1, no 1, Hob III:1 "La Chasse" Dmitri Shostakovich - Quartet no 4 in D, op 83
A first visit by this established quartet of eminent musicians, bringing a programme of works written just over two hundred years apart and contrasting the early exuberant birth of the string quartet and a mature work of another master, from the mid 20th century.
In demand since its formation in 2016, the Victoria String Quartet has gone on to perform for chamber music societies and festivals throughout the UK and has been hailed as an ensemble ‘brim full with pedigree and wide experience’ (Buxton International Festival), performing at venues including Kendal (Lake District Summer Music), Pinner and Buxton Festivals, London, Manchester (Bridgewater, RNCM and Stoller Hall), north Norfolk, north and west Wales and the Scottish Borders. In addition to gathering return invitations to chamber music societies and festivals, the Victorias are curating an ongoing programme of creative projects: a collection of short chamber works about (and by) Sir John Manduell (Divine Arts), a recording of the Weber, Cooke and Brahms clarinet quintets, and a CD of string chamber music by Richard Pantcheff, with BBC Radio 3 presenter Tom McKinney. A recent autumn residency at Marchmont House in the Scottish Borders saw the Quartet performing and recording a collection of string chamber works by Scottish composer Helen Leach. Enthusiasts for lost and undiscovered works, in 2022 the Quartet gave the first public performances of Elgar’s Six Fragments for String Quartet and are looking forward to recording them later this year. Since its inception, the Quartet has also enjoyed sharing the concert platform with other eminent colleagues including Quatuor Danel, Peter Hewitt and Irina Andrievsky (piano), Leo Popplewell (cello), Richard Simpson (oboe) and John Bradbury (clarinet).
