www.camgrant.org.uk

Zelkova Quartet Caroline Pether

Violin

Edward Pether

Violin

Alex Mitchell

Viola

Jonathan Pether

Cello

Haydn

String Quartet in D Op 64 No 5 “The Lark”

Debussy

String Quartet in G minor Op 10

Gershwin

'Love Walked In'

Sunday 15 May 2016 The Church of St Mary & St Bartholomew Hampton-in-Arden

Concert in aid of The Cameron Grant Memorial Trust The concert is free. Donations are requested at the Concert, in the Fentham Hall afterwards or online at www.totalgiving.co.uk/mypage/zelkova

ZELKOVA QUARTET The Zelkova Quartet was founded at the Royal Northern College of Music under the guidance of Petr Prause, cellist of the Talich Quartet, in 2010. They recently completed an International Artist Diploma in Chamber Music, the institution's most advanced level of study in performance, and were selected to participate in the St John's Smith Square Young Artists Programme 2014/15. Recent performances include recitals at St Martin in the Fields, St John's Smith Square, Moscow's Rachmaninov Hall and the Bridgewater Hall for the Manchester Midday Concert Society. The quartet have been heard numerous times on BBC Radio 3 including a Royal Philharmonic Society 'Encore' performance at the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, a performance as part of the BBC Proms Plus Portrait series and a live broadcast on the 'In Tune' programme. They were also one of four quartets selected internationally to participate in the Trondheim International String Quartet Academy 2012 and attended the Britten Pears Young Artist Programme in September 2013. The quartet was invited to perform at the 2015 Edinburgh Fringe as part of the Royal Overseas League’s programme of events at the festival. Competition successes include winning the Elias Fawcett Trust Prize for Outstanding Chamber Ensemble at the 2014 Royal Overseas League Competition and the RNCM Christopher Rowland Chamber Ensemble of the Year 2012 prize, where the quartet received both First prize and the Audience Prize. They were also awarded the RNCM John Barbirolli/Laurence Turner Memorial Prize for String Quartet in the same year and have won numerous other internal competitions.  As an ensemble they have received coaching from Gabor Takacs-Nagy, Levon Chilingirian, Hatto Beyerle, Peter Cropper, Richard Ireland and Christoph Richter. The quartet value the importance of musical education and enjoy teaching on Pro Corda and Ingestre, both chamber music courses for young musicians. The quartet wish to thank both Philip Carne and Peter and Veronica Lofthouse for their support. PROGRAMME String Quartet in D Op 64 No 5 ‘The Lark’ 1. 2. 3. 4.

Franz Joseph Haydn (1732 – 1809 )

Allegro moderato Adagio, Cantabile Menuet, Allegretto – Trio Finale, Vivace

Like many of Haydn's String Quartets, the nickname of 'The Lark' was not attributed by the composer but attached later, taking inspiration from the opening melody in the first violin. This is one of many Haydn quartets dedicated to his friend and colleague Johann Tost, a Hungarian violin virtuoso, who played in Haydn's Esterhazy court orchestra. There are certainly other quartets dedicated to the violinist that are more virtuosic than this one, however this quartet achieves a certain intimacy, particularly in the soaring melodies of the first movement and the simplicity of the second. In the 18th and early 19th centuries it was very common for specific emotions to be assigned to specific keys, as Christian Schubart outlines in his 'Ideas Toward an Aesthetic of Music' (1806). In this work A major is said to describe 'declarations of innocent love, hope of seeing one's beloved again when parting, youthful cheerfulness and trust in God', all of which perfectly summarise this beautiful second movement. After the jovial dance of the third movement, we finally hear that flash of virtuosity in the moto perpetuo last movement. With only one brief moment of respite towards the end of the movement, Haydn finds yet another way to have the last laugh, leaving listeners as he so often does with a smile on their face.

String Quartet in G minor Op 10 1. 2. 3. 4.

Claude Debussy (1862 – 1918)

Animé et très décidé Assez vif et bien rythmé Andantino, doucement expressif Très modéré - En animant peu à peu - Très mouvementé et avec passion

When Debussy published this quartet in 1893 at the age of thirty-one there was a legacy of well over a century of Germanic/Viennese chamber music. In instrumental music the Viennese style was the bench mark - the masterpieces of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven - and in opera the achievements of Wagner loomed large. Debussy showed his willingness to grapple with this legacy, and it seemed he was keeping with tradition when he gave his quartet a formal title, the usual four movement format, a definitive key and a confidently declared opus number (although this was essentially a fiction because no other composition of his has one!). However in French musical circles the Germanic influence evoked ambivalence and Debussy, who was taught and influenced by French composers and artists, was already developing his own ideas about composition. Any feelings of tradition in his quartet are soon banished by the sense of spontaneity and improvisation, and the completely new sound world which he created and developed further in later works. Debussy also followed the example of several previous composers in making recurrent use of the same musical idea (the opening theme in this case) in the following movements, but the remarkable transformations of his theme which he achieves seem both more subtle and extensive than anything written before. The first movement opens with an assertive and emphatic theme. Then almost immediately the texture and harmonies become much more changeable and atmospheric and, after the introduction of a second more relaxed lyrical theme, both themes are developed and varied in the course of the movement. The movement does however end in the emphatic manner in which it began. In the lively second movement the first theme is heard initially on the viola as a repeated pattern (ostinato) which then combines with dancing pizzicato on the other instruments. A more lyrical version of the theme is introduced by the violin, and the movement is also notable for energetic strumming accompaniments, and trills which eventually lead the movement to a quiet conclusion. The muted strings at the opening of the third movement create a beautiful sound that is dreamy and wistful. The mood stirs and tension builds slightly as a fragment of the theme is heard in the central section but then we return to the hushed atmosphere of the opening. The opening of the finale picks up the mood of the previous movement but then disguised versions of the original theme emerge gradually. The music gains pace, eventually leading to the theme bursting out in its original emphatic version. In a final sprint the quartet ends with a flourish as the first violin races up a three octave scale to reach, with a nod to tradition, the sunlight of G major.

Love Walked In

George Gershwin (1898 – 1937) arr. Bill Thorp ********************************

There will be no interval. Tea and cakes will be served after the concert in Fentham Hall.

www.camgrant.org.uk Our son Cameron took his own life in November 2014, aged just 21. He suffered from depression for seven years before he died, but managed to hide this from us and everyone who knew him. He seemed very happy at university and was planning to do a master’s degree. Outwardly he was always smiling and was always the one who was there to cheer everyone else up. We’ve learnt a lot about suicide since Cameron died, and the statistics are frightening. About ¾ of suicides are male and it is the biggest cause of death in the UK for boys and men aged between 15 and 45. 1 in 10 young people, or about 3 in every school classroom, are experiencing mental health problems at any given time and many people suffer in silence, as our son did. In 2013, there were 1769 road fatalities in the UK (roughly 5 a day), but even more shockingly, 6233 suicides (17 a day). There are many thousands more suffering from depression, self-harm and eating disorders. To mark Cameron’s life, we established the Cameron Grant Memorial Fund to raise awareness of young suicide; to urge all who are suffering in silence to speak up and ask for help, and to support young people who are fighting to overcome poor mental health. Mental Health issues can affect anyone and there is no shame in having an illness, physical or mental and seeking help for it. We hope that by spreading this message openly and honestly and providing support to young people through the Fund we can help many others in Cameron’s memory. We miss Cameron an unbelievable amount and we so wish that he had asked for help. With support from the Aviva Community Fund we are training local community leaders in suicide awareness and have produced drink mats to encourage people to ask for help. We have now printed 50,000 mats which we have distributed locally, and to 26 colleges and universities around the UK. We hope to have the Cameron Grant Memorial Trust established as as registered charity by the end of May, and, at that point, the Memorial Trust will take over the work of the Memorial Fund and continue with the same objectives. In the meantime, operating as a Fund within the Lillie Johnson Charitable Trust enables us to claim Gift Aid, and we are extremely grateful to the Lillie Johnson Charitable Trust for their continued support. Future events for Cameron include: climbing Ben Nevis with some of Cameron’s closest friends from school on 2 July, climbing Kilimanjaro in a group of 14 family & friends in August, the 2nd Night Walk for Cameron in Hampton on 7 October, and a New Year’s Eve Party at Fentham Hall. Please follow our website for further information. We are delighted, and honoured, that the Zelkova Quartet have chosen to perform this concert. We remember how much Cameron used to enjoy his music lessons with Jan in Fentham Road, and so this is an especially appropriate and touching way to raise money for the Memorial we have set up in Cameron’s name. Very many thanks to the Zelkova Quartet, to the Pether Family, and to all who have come to the concert today. Evan & Carol Grant