Music for GalwayÕs mid-winter festival

Date Published: {J}

Two of the world’s top contemporary quartets, Galway’s ConTempo Quartet and Amsterdam’s saxophone quartet, the Amstel Quartet, will take part in Music for Galway’s mid-winter festival, Intimate Voices, which runs from January 20-22 at the city’s Town Hall Theatre.

Audiences will have a chance to hear fascinating interpretations of familiar works in unfamiliar settings, such as Barber’s Adagio for Strings performed by the saxophone quartet, arrangements of Bach fugues by Mozart, a 21-minute version of Wagner’s operatic Ring Cycle for saxophones, and more.

Meanwhile, while two major works for string quartet have inspired the title of the festival. They are Sibelius’ 1910 work, Intimate Voices and Leos Janácek’s final composition, Intimate Letters. Janácek wrote over 700 letters to his muse, a woman nearly 40 years his junior and actor Rod Goodall will read extracts from these prior to the performance.

Mozart’s beautiful Adagio and Fugue, written at the instigation of his wife Constanza, will be heard in two versions; one performed by strings and one by saxophones.

Several guests will join the weekend festival. Romanian video artist Mihai Cucu is creating three specially commissioned video pieces to accompany the music each night, while choreographer Judith Sibley of Chrysalis Dance and Youth Ballet West, is creating dance movement for five Bach fugues.

The Galway Music Residency Apprentice Ensemble, Chatham Saxophone Quartet, will join with the Amstel Quartet to perform a Work for eight Saxophones by the famous Dutch 17th century composer Jan Sweelinck. Baritone Gavan Ring will join ConTempo for a performance of Samuel Barber’s Dover Beach.

The festival begins on Friday, December 20 at 8pm with Sibeliius’ string quartet Intimate Voices, Mozart’s Adagio & Fugue, Michael Torke’s May, June & July and Erkki-Sven Tüür’s Lamentatio.

On Saturday 2pm, it’s Meet the Musicians in the company of Chatham Saxophone Quartet and young Galway musicians.

Later that evening, at 8pm the programme includes Janácek’s string quartet Intimate Letters and Samuel Barber’s Dover Beach among others.

On Sunday at 3, the festival’s final concert will feature Bach Fugues, Arvo Part’s Fratres, Philip Glass Company, and Wagner’s Ring in 21 minutes!

Tickets to individual events are €20, concessions €16,

students €6. Festival Tickets €55/€45. Booking at the Town Hall Theatre 091 569777, online at www.tht.ie