Memory Unwrapped: Brodsky Quartet - Memories

This ‘Memories’ inspired programme has something for everyone. From Davidson’s irresistible tropical island to Golijov’s juxtaposition of a war-torn, urban scene and a spectral vista. Bartók’s heartbreaking yearning for his beloved Hungary to Dvorak’s bristling celebration of America’s wide open spaces. Euphoria, tragedy, optimism, nostalgia – it’s all here.

Robert Davidson’s glorious evocation of Straddie, the beautiful little island off the coast of his native Brisbane, washes over you like a gentle, tropical wave. An easy-going rhythmic bass is supplemented by an endless stream of effortless melodies, which you will be humming for days.

Osvaldo Golijov’s Tenebrae is a haunting depiction of two deeply contrasting incidents which occurred in his life in the year 2000. Having narrowly escaped being blown up on a bus in Jerusalem, he found himself, just a couple of days later, with his son in the New York Planetarium. As he gazed at the cosmos and pondered the image of our innocent, blue planet, the fragility of life was brought sharply into focus. The Pergolesi-inspired fragments, which begin and end the work, are interspersed with a sci-fi section reminiscent of Bartók’s infamous night music.

In his sixth and last Quartet, we find a profoundly emotional Bela Bartók. His exile to the USA, enforced by the Nazi invasion of his native Hungary, left him homesick and depressed. Add to this the death of his mother and his not inconsiderable financial difficulties, and you find a thoroughly forlorn figure indeed. Despite its undeniably tragic core, Bartók still manages to infuse it with tremendous invention, vitality and humour.

Unlike Bartók, Antonín Dvořák willingly went to the USA, invited by his benefactor, Jeanette Thurber, where he spent three years helping American composers find an American voice. It is clear from the infectious joy found in the music that Dvořák truly enjoyed himself on foreign soil. The elegiac slow movement feels intensely nostalgic, but nonetheless, there are few works more fun-filled and rumbustious than the American Quartet.

This event will last for approximately 2 hours, including an interval.