INVERNESS Town House’s March programme of classical music begins on Wednesday 6th March with a visit by the acclaimed London Bridge Ensemble.
Described by critic Edward Bhesania of The Strad magazine a few weeks ago as an ensemble capable of making the heart race and the lips quiver with their rapturous musical intensity, the quintet is led by pianist Daniel Tong, founder of the Wye Valley Chamber Music Festival, and features violinist Laura Samuel, violist Tom Dunn, cellist Kate Gould and baritone Ivan Ludlow.
Dunn has appeared as guest principal viola with orchestras including the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, The Philharmonia, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, while BBC Radio 3 Young Artists’ Forum winner Gould is a founder member of the Leopold String Trio and has made numerous recordings for Hyperion Records, while Samuel was appointed leader of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra in June last year. Singer Ludlow has been a regular guest at some of Europe’s most prestigious opera houses and has performed at recitals throughout Europe and the United States.
Together the London Bridge Ensemble was resident for several years at the Ponte de Lima Festival in Portugal and has recorded two CDs of works by Frank Bridge for Dutton, as well as recordings of chamber works by Schumann and Gabriel Faure for Sonimage
Their programme for Inverness Chamber Music starts with the "Piano Quartet No 3 in C minor, Op.60" by Brahms.
Ivan Ludlow and Daniel Tong will then perform the lieder settings of six Heine poems from Schwanengesang D957 by Schubert, before an all Dvorák second half beginning with the "Seven Gypsy Songs, Op.55" that includes the enchanting "Songs My Mother Taught Me" and finishing the evening with his "Piano Quartet No 2 in E flat major, Op.87".
Tickets priced £13, £12 for Eden Court Friends £12 and £4 for under-18s, students and benefits holders, can be booked online at www.invernesschambermusic.com or purchased at Eden Court box office or at the door on the night from 7.30pm.
The concert begins at 8pm.
The following week, at lunchtime on Thursday 14th March, At One With Music will welcome world music specialists Trio Kosmos.
The trio features violinist Harriet Mackenzie, perhaps best known in the Highlands as half of the Sutherland Duo, violist Meg Hamilton and the award-winning Serbian accordionist Milos Milivojevic, who together deliver an hour of East European, gypsy and kletzmer music — with possibly the haunting arrangement of "Bach’s Air on a G string" by way of contrast.
Admission costs £5 (children £1) and the doors to the Town House will open at 12.30pm, with the performance starting at 1pm.
