Mendelssohn's octet is one of our favourite pieces to play it's always so exciting to rehearse and perform this and was so brilliant to meet up with the Wihan Quartet again to revisit this exhilarating work.
George Enescu's octet is a piece we've wanted to play for years but never had the time and opportunity to work on it and perform it. We had a few intense days rehearsing with the Wihans in London before our festival, then had an amazing time in Prague performing it in the beautiful Rudolfinum Hall for the Prague Spring Festival!
It will be fourteen years since we first met the Wihan Quartet. Since then, we have been working regularly with them in England or during the summer courses in Bechyne. They never stop inspiring us with enthusiasm and devotion to music. To share with them the stage in Prague will undoubtedly be one of the highlights of our musical career.
In Damascus
Our new commission by Jonathan Dove, In Damascus, was inspired by Hannah's suggestion for a work that should reflect aspects of the conflict in Syria; not because music can offer any political solution, but simply as an expression of empathy, sorrow, even outrage at those terrible events.
Featuring a performance by tenor Mark Padmore, the text is taken from prose-poems by Ali Safar that draw on his first- hand experiences in Syria, eloquently translated by Anne-Marie McManus. We present this new work alongside his string quartet work, Out of Time, and his Piano Quintet, performed with pianist Charles Owen.
Sacconi Festival 2017
Ben on the Sunday of the Festival
The Sunday of the Festival is always a mix of huge excitement and the feeling 'Can I play yet another concert after all that's happened?'. I was fortunate to enjoy hearing the rest of the quartet in the afternoon concert. They were joined by Leon Bosch and Alasdair Beatson to play Schubert's Trout Quintet. It bubbled with enthusiasm and good feeling.
All that was left was the evening concert: Mozart k. 387, Beethoven's Archduke Trio and the Dvorak Piano Quintet. The Mozart quartet has been close to us for a long time, and it is pure joy to play. I then relished the rare opportunity to play one of the great piano trios with Cara and Alasdair. I have loved this piece from the first time I ever heard it. It is for me perhaps one of the most moving pieces of music to play. I'm so grateful to Alasdair and Cara for their enthusiasm and energy in this performance. I will remember it for a long time. All our remaining energy was then thrown in to the Dvorak Quintet, which won the audience vote to conclude this year's festival. It felt like a fitting end.
Sacconi Cruise
Kirker Music Festival at Sea 2018
A remote and evocative archipelago, the islands of Norway’s Arctic north hold a unique allure for those with a sense of adventure. During the long midsummer days, Black Watch will cruise up the spectacular Norwegian coastline, past the Seven Sisters’ Mountain range, and the North Cape as far as the Arctic outpost of Spitsbergen.
The Sacconis will be on board for the whole cruise, performing in twelve of the eighteen concerts. Violist Simon Rowland-Jones will be joining the quartet, as well as other illustrious musicians to be announced shortly.
You can reserve your place before public booking opens by calling Lucy Ayling at Kirker on 020 7593 1896. Full details can be found on the Kirker Holidays website.
