| Freitag 31 Juli 2026 | 11:00 |
| Howells, Herbert (1892-1983) | 3 Pieces, Op.28: "Chosen" Tune (arr. Madeleine Mitchell) | |
| Howells, Herbert (1892-1983) | 3 Pieces, Op.28: Luchinushka (arr. Madeleine Mitchell) | |
| Howells, Herbert (1892-1983) | String Quartet no. 3 "In Gloucestershire" (Earlier version 1920) | |
| Wood, Charles (1866-1926) | String Quartet in E flat major, "The Highgate" |
| London Chamber Ensemble | |
| Madeleine Mitchell | Violine |
| Gordon MacKay | Violine |
| Bridget Carey | Viola |
| Joseph Spooner | Cello |
The London Chamber Ensemble Quartet, founded in 2019, is firmly established as one of the UK's leading string quartets, renowned for their first recordings of early 20th century music and for their performances in a repertoire spanning Haydn and late Beethoven to contemporary.
Their recording of Howells Quartet 'In Gloucestershire’ (earlier version 1920) and the 2 pieces which Madeleine Mitchell arranged for quartet from the 3 Pieces for Violin & Piano, plus Wood (Howells & Wood Quartets (SOMM) - all 1st recordings - was one of Gramophone's recommended recordings 2024 "indispensable" BBC Music Magazine, "full of vitality...expertly played" Fiona Maddocks The Observer and featured live on BBC Radio 3.
This success led to them being invited to record all 8 string quartets by Charles Wood (1866-1926) in the centenary year of his death. Wood taught Howells, Vaughan Williams and Tippett and is known for his choral music but his finely crafted late romantic quartets, with hints of Irish folk song echoing his Armagh roots, deserve to be better known.
The LCEQ album Charles Wood String Quartets (SOMM), from which they are playing ‘the Highgate’ Quartet (1893) in the Three Choirs Festival, is released 15 May and launched at their concert in the English Music Festival 23 May 2pm in Dartington Great Hall.
The London Chamber Ensemble album Grace Williams Chamber Music (Naxos, 2019), was no.2 in the Classical Charts, Guardian CD of the Week, "passionate, persuasive advocacy...more please" Gramophone. Madeleine Mitchell won a Royal Philharmonic Society award to make a short film of the quartet concert she curated for the V&A exhibition Fabergé: Romance to Revolution (on youtube) with Borodin, Rimsky-Korsakov and Howells Luchinushka and featuring the original manuscripts of Howells' collections of Russian and Ukrainian folk tunes in the library of the Royal College of Music where Mitchell is a professor.
