Edinburgh Quartet

EQ RECORDING IS GRAMOPHONE MAGAZINE EDITOR'S CHOICE
CD review

The Edinburgh Quartet's 2-volume recording of the complete Hans Gal string quartets is riding high, picked out among "Best Recordings of the Year" in Gramophone Magazine's Special Awards Issue 2007. "Four Guys for Four Gals" was the caption to the picture and Rob Cowan was delighted with this long-awaited issue and its performance. You can read the full review and listen to some excerpts in this website.

 

SOUND THOUGHT
a postgraduate music research event at Glasgow University

Friday 23 November 2007 8pm in Glasgow University Memorial Chapel Saturday 24 November 2007 5pm in Glasgow University Concert Hall

Sound Thought is a new exciting musical boutique event from the postgraduate music students at Glasgow University, highlighting the diversity of research and creative practice in the music department by showcasing the student’s unique, often groundbreaking musical work in various genres in one space. To kick start the weekend-long free event, Scotland’s foremost string quartet The Edinburgh Quartet – joined by Lesley Bell (clarinet), Joanna Shaw (flute) and Laurina Sableviciute (piano) – will premiere new works by composers; Ross Campbell (student of James MacMillan and Edwin Roxburgh and Senior Lecturer in creative industries at North Glasgow College), Christopher Hutchings (winner of Temple Church Composition and Edinburgh Competition Festivals Prize), plus Euan Fulton and Claire Docherty. The Edinburgh Quartet will also end the mini-festival on a high note performing new works by David Duncan and American composer Drew Hammond. <more concert details> <download the flyer>

 

FRONTIERS AND BRIDGES
CD release and launch concert

	Frontiers and Bridges the new CD from the Edinburgh Quartet and guests Gala Launch Concert Friday, 9th November 2007 at 8pm Stockbridge Parish Church, Saxe-Coburg Street, Edinburgh Tickets £6.00 (£4.00) from 07932 596533 www.frontiersandbridges.com or at the door.
The Edinburgh Quartet with: Paul Speirs (double bass), Andrew Johnston (piano), * James Lowe, conductor Ludwig van Beethoven: Quartet in F, Op.18 No.1 Anothai Nitibhon: Dukkha * Julian Wagstaff: Piano Quintet Find out more about the Frontiers and Bridges CD (released 1st November 2007) in the recordings section of this website.

 

TRISTAN GURNEY
new leader

	THE EDINBURGH QUARTET IS DELIGHTED TO ANNOUNCE THE INSTATEMENT OF THEIR NEW LEADER TRISTAN GURNEY
Tristan joins the Edinburgh Quartet after spending some years in the Northern Sinfonia as first violin. He studied the violin at the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester, with Yossi Zivoni and then at the Royal Conservatory of Music, Toronto, with Lorand Fenyves. He was a leader and soloist with the RNCM orchestras and led the Gurney Quartet, which performed widely across the country, appearing at many prestigious festivals, including the BBC Proms Composer Portraits series where they were broadcast live on BBC Radio 3. Tristan regularly gives concerto and recital performances around the UK and is the Head of Strings at The University of Newcastle upon Tyne. He plays on a Ferdinand Gagliano violin kindly on loan from Philip Langridge.
"I am honoured to join this established and dynamic ensemble, and eagerly look forward to making music with such inspiring and talented musicians. When I was first invited to play with the quartet, I was immediately struck by the homogenous quality of sound and unique musical understanding which has been built up over a long and illustrious history together. Most stimulating, however, is the way in which the Quartet is reflective and open to new interpretive ideas for its performances. I invite you to join us as we begin our musical journey together, creating fresh interpretations of some of the greatest chamber music masterpieces ever written." - Tristan Gurney Tristan's inaugural concert concert takes place at 7.30pm on Wednesday 10 October, 2007 at Stockbridge Parish Church, Saxe Coburg Street, Edinburgh, EH3 5BN.     • concert information The press release is available here as a printer-friendly version or to download.

 

GALA CONCERT
Introducing Tristan Gurney...

Gala Concert: 7.30pm, Wednesday, 10th October 2007 Stockbridge Parich Church, Saxe Coburg Street, Edinburgh EH3 5BN Haydn: Quartet in G Opus 76 No 1 Beethoven: Grosse Fugue Opus 133 Elgar Piano Quintet with Nicholas Ashton, piano

Tristan will be officially introduced to Edinburgh at a Gala Concert, the first of our Napier University Stockbridge Parish Church series, on Wednesday October 10th 2007. This season's programmes feature Haydn's complete Opus 76, all of Beethoven's late quartets and major works by English and Scottish composers. Nicholas Ashton will be with us for the gala opening in Elgar's Piano Quintet and, along with tenor Thomas Hobbs, will also bring the 2007/8 series to a close on April 23rd 2008 in a performance of Vaughan Williams' beautiful "On Wenlock Edge".

 

ANNIVERSARIES AND BIRTHDAYS
In the 2007 - 2008 concert series...

 

In addition to recognising the 150th anniversary of Elgar's birth in 1857 and the 50th of Vaughan Williams' death in 1958 (first and last concerts in our Napier Stockbridge series), three events will celebrate the birthdays of composers who are very much still with us!:     • Elgar concert information     • Vaughan Williams concert information JANET BEAT - at Glasgow University, where our flourishing residency continues through the generous support of Dunard Fund, our lunchtime concert on November 22nd features Beat's "Circe" for solo viola and First String Quartet along with Haydn's last quartet, Opus 103.     • Janet Beat concert information EDWARD McGUIRE - same venue (Glasgow University Concert Hall), same time, on Valentine's Day (February 14th 2008) another solo viola work (Martyr, played by Jessica Beeston) will lauch this concert to mark the composer's 60th birthday year. Jessica will join the Edinburgh Quartet in Eddie's Guest Quintet (EQ commission, 1995) and the programme will also feature Seven Modal Duos and String Trio.     • Edward McGuire concert information RONALD STEVENSON's 80th birthday year will be celebrated with a performance of Recitative and Air at Edinburgh University's Reid Concert Hall at 1.10pm on Tuesday January 15th 2008.     • Ronald Stevenson concert information Sadly no longer with us but still a very strong musical influence upon the Edinburgh Quartet, our old friend THOMAS WILSON would have been 80 in 2008. Having commissioned his Quartet No 4, premiered it on BBC Television and recorded it for Meridian Records, the Edinburgh Quartet return to his Quartet No 3 for performances at Edinburgh's Reid Hall (October 2nd 2007) and at Glasgow University (March 4th 2008). This was the work with which, in the presence of the composer, the Edinburgh Quartet won the Contemporary Music Prize at the 1986 Evian-les-Bain International Quartet Competition - plans are afoot to record this work to CD soon.     • Thomas Wilson concert information - Edinburgh     • Thomas Wilson concert information - Glasgow

 

HANS GÁL CELEBRATORY CONCERT
(1890-1987)

Celebrating the launch of the Hans Gál Society in Scotland and the world-première release of Hans Gál's Complete Quartets by the Edinburgh Quartet (Meridian). Programme includes Haydn's Opus 103, Gál's Quartets 1 and 3 and his Variations on a Theme by Mozart. You can find out more about the Hans Gál Society by downloading the pdf version of the Society leaflet. (follow this link to download a pdf file viewer if needed)

Tickets available from The Queens Hall Box Office (0131 668 2019), The Hans Gál Society (0131 667 8819) and on the door. £12, £9 (conc.), £7 (Hans Gál Society members and Friends of the Edinburgh Quartet) Wine/soft drinks included