CELEBRATING THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF
THE CHILINGIRIAN STRING QUARTET
Thursday 26 January 2012
The Shoe Factory, Nicosia / 8.30pm
**As part of the Foundation's music education programme the Quartet will
give an educational concert for students of secondary education public
schools in the morning.
One of the world's most celebrated and widely-traveled ensembles will open
the Pharos Arts Foundation's 2012 season. Renowned for its thrilling
interpretations of the great quartets as well as the commanding performances
of the contemporary repertoire, the Chilingirian Quartet celebrates its 40th
anniversary. Having developed strong bonds with Cyprus audiences through a
number of outstanding concerts and educational activities throughout the
years, the Chilingirian Quartet will join forces with young Cypriot
clarinettist George Georgiou for a unique concert of quartets by Ravel and
Haydn and Mozart's Clarinet Quintet. Thursday 26 January 2012 / The Shoe
Factory, Nicosia / 8:30pm
The Chilingirian String Quartet
The Chilingirian Quartet is one of the world's most celebrated and widely-traveled
ensembles, renowned for its thrilling interpretations of the great quartets
and commanding performances of the contemporary repertoire. The Quartet is
composed of Levon Chilingirian (violin), Philip De Groote (cello), Ronald
Birks (violin), and Susie Mészáros (viola) - highly accomplished musicians
who blend four distinct voices into a single extraordinary sound. It is a
sound that critics around the world have heralded as "balanced,"
"passionate," "warm," "subtle," and "dynamic."
Origins: London has always been a meeting-point for the world's musicians,
and it was in London in 1971 that four prizewinning musicians met and
decided to dedicate themselves to chamber music. Word of the new quartet
spread rapidly, and within a short time the Chilingirian Quartet was claimed
by London's critics to be an ensemble that would have a major impact on the
world of the string quartet. BBC and World Service broadcasts of the
Chilingirian Quartet were soon followed by invitations to the Edinburgh,
Aldeburgh, and Bath festivals, and to the most important cities throughout
Europe.
In 1976, a triumphant debut in New York made the Chilingirians a
sought-after group throughout the United States. The Quartet has since made
over fifteen coast-to-coast tours of the USA and Canada. Extensive tours of
Australia, New Zealand, South America, Africa, and the Far East make the
Quartet equally well known around the world. In 1988, the group became the
first-ever Quartet-in-Residence at the Royal College of Music, where it
continues to offer master classes to many of the world's most promising
young musicians.
The Quartet has built an extensive and critically-acclaimed discography of
works by Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, Schubert, Bartok, Dvorak, and other major
composers. And, it released groundbreaking recordings of masterworks by
contemporary composers such as Michael Tippett, John Tavener, Hugh Wood, and
Michael Berkeley. The Chilingirians have also appeared extensively on TV and
radio programs around the world, including an ongoing series of broadcasts
for the BBC.
Now in its fourth decade, the Chilingirian Quartet continues to tour,
record, and teach, amassing one of the music world?s most impressive resumés.
The Quartet maintains a keen balance between its performance and teaching
activities. Its residencies have included the Royal College of Music,
Liverpool University and Norway Chamber Music Association. Furthermore, the
Chilingirian Quartet has established an exciting connection with Venezuela's
"El Sistema," world-famous for its Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra. The
Quartet has been asked to further the chamber music education of the group's
highly talented young players by visiting Caracas to teach and perform with
the older players who will pass on their experiences to their younger
colleagues. Ensembles from "El Sistema" have been invited to the Quartet's
prestigious summer course at West Dean in England.
George Georgiou / clarinet
George Georgiou was born in Nicosia in 1984. He studied the clarinet with
Julian Farrell and Joy Farall at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in
London, and holds degrees (BMus and Master in Advanced Instrumental Studies)
from the City University. As a soloist, Georgiou has appeared with the City
University Symphony Orchestra and the prestigious Moscow Virtuosi under the
baton of Vladimir Spivakov. He has given recitals in Cyprus, Greece,
Ireland, the UK and the US and has repeatedly collaborated with a number of
ensembles such as the Apple Hill String Quartet (USA), and the Semplice
String Quartet with whom he has appeared as ?Artists in Residence? during
the 2010 Apple Hill Chamber Music Festival.
His strong interest in contemporary music has led him to give a number of
Cyprus premieres of works by composers such as Carter, Berio, Mantovani and
Stockhausen. Georgiou is also a strong supporter of Cypriot composers and
has worked closely with several of them, having given world and Cyprus
premieres of their pieces. George Georgiou resides in Cyprus where he works
as the co-ordinator of the Cyprus Youth Orchestra. He has currently been
appointed as the artistic director of Due Capi Music Agency. He is the
founder of Cyprus Clarinet Studio and a member of Amphiliki Ensemble and the
Claretini Quartet.
Programme:
Maurice Ravel (1875 - 1937)
String Quartet in F major (1903)
Joseph Haydn (1732 - 1809)
String Quartet in D major, Op. 76, No. 5 (1797)
interval
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 - 1791)
Quintet for Clarinet and Strings, K. 581 (1789)
Ticket Prices:
Adults: EUR25
Friends and Supporters of the Pharos Arts Foundation / Concessions: EUR20
Click
here to purchase your tickets online or telephone 7000 9304
