Chamber Concert 27.10.2026 at 19:00

Chamber Hall / Chamber Tuesdays (formerly K1)

Performers: Musicians of the National Philharmonic

Programme:
Arnold Bax - Concerto for Flute, Oboe, Harp and String Quartet [26']
Guillaume Connesson - Double Quatuor for Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Bass Clarinet and String Quartet [8']
... intermission [15']
Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy - Octet in E-flat Major op. 20 [34']

The combination of woodwind timbre with a string quartet creates unusual coloristic effects, appreciated by composers of past eras and contemporary creators alike. Guillaume Connesson's Double Quatuor from 1994 clearly draws on the minimal music movement, yet it also echoes fascination with the music of old Italian masters - Antonio Vivaldi and Arcangelo Corelli. The quartet, consisting of flute, oboe and two clarinets, is here - in Baroque fashion - set against the string section.

In Arnold Bax's three-part Concerto for Flute, Oboe and Harp from 1916, the string instruments are sometimes treated almost equally with the woodwinds, while the harp provides accompaniment. The middle section, Cavatina, is particularly striking: a lyrical melody first entrusted to the flute with harp accompaniment is then taken up by the oboe and subsequently by the violins.

Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy's Octet in E-flat Major op. 20 for four violins, two violas and two cellos was composed in 1825, when the composer was just 16 years old. Originally a gift to his violin teacher Eduard Rietz, under whose direction a private premiere took place. The official premiere of the work - thoroughly revised by the composer - waited eleven years.

Grzegorz Zieziula