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Welcome to this year’s festival celebrating the blossoming chamber music scene at Birmingham Conservatoire. We present concerts by our Ensembles in Residence who have been such an inspiration to the students, and many concerts by the students themselves. In addition we have recitals by the exciting string quartet, The Odeion, visiting from South Africa, and the ever-popular Primrose Piano Quartet.

The theme, REVOLUTIONARIES, picks up on the recent explosion of chamber music activity and enthusiasm at the Conservatoire. Beethoven, perhaps the most revolutionary of the great composers, features largely, also two works by Schoenberg, including the wonderful Verklärte Nacht.

Many other pieces by less obviously revolutionary composers have been chosen for qualities which make them stand out from the ordinary, or represent a new development, a new combination of instruments, or a new style.

We hope that you will join us and enter into the festival spirit.

Robin Ireland

Head of Chamber Music, Birmingham Conservatoire

WED 10 JUNE

THE SOLDIER’S TALE

4.30pm Adrian Boult Hall£6/£4 (advanced) £6.50/£4.50 (on the door)

Students from Birmingham Conservatoire and Birmingham School of ActingStravinsky Fanfare for a New Theatre Ives From the Steeples and the Mountains BCMS Prize-winning competition piece by Fan Fan Quan Requiem G Gabrieli Sonata Soldier’s No.18 à 14Stravinsky The Soldier's Tale

Join us for the opening of Revolutionaries with Stravinsky’s wonderful and revolutionary work, The Soldier’s Tale, which brings together students from four departments within the Conservatoire and the School of Acting. The first part of the concert includes the winning piece from the Birmingham Chamber Music Society composition competition, for the provocative combination of trumpet, double bass and percussion, as well as a dazzling display by brass students, making creative use of the space in Adrian Boult Hall.

Liederabend

WED 10 JUNE

LIEDERABEND: REVOLUTION & REVELATION

7.30pm Recital Hall£6/£4 (advanced) £6.50/£4.50 (on the door)

Always a festival favourite, this year’s Liederabend brings together a wide variety of songs reflecting freedom of thought and action, devised by Robert Allan and presented by members of the Vocal and Operatic Studies Department.Programme includes work by Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms, Liszt and many more.

THU 11 JUNE

STRING QUARTETS PART I, COFFEE CONCERT

10am Recital Hall£5.50 (advanced) £6 (on the door) both including a complimentary tea or coffee.

Students from Birmingham Conservatoire Strings DepartmentMozart String Quartet No.19 in C Major k465, The Dissonance i Adagio - AllegroBeethoven String Quartet No.1 in F major, Op.18iv AllegroBrahms String Quartet No.3 in B flat major, Op.67iii Agitati. Allegro non troppoMendelssohn String Quartet in E flat major, Op.12 ii Canzonetta: Allegrettoiv Molto Allegro e vivaceHaydn String Quartet, Op.51, Seven Last Words of Christiv Sonata vii: Largo – Il TerremotoShostakovich String Quartet No.4 in D major, Op.83i Allegretto In the first of the festival’s coffee concerts, enjoy six ground-breaking works for string quartet by six of the greatest composers for the genre. The movement from Brahms’s Quartet in B flat is dominated by the viola – an unheard of idea and Haydn’s Seven Last Words finish with an extraordinary musical depiction of an earthquake.

HelloTUE 9 JUNE

FESTIVAL TASTER

6.30pm Hotel-du-Vin, 25 Church Street, Birmingham, B3 2NRFree entry

Beethoven Quartet in G major, Op.18 no.2 Dvořák Serenade transcribed for 13 Wind Instruments, Op.22

In this pre-festival taster, some of the Conservatoire’s best ensembles perform in Hotel-du-Vin’s welcoming open courtyard. It boasts a fine acoustic, and is a fantastic setting for listening to fine music while enjoying a fine wine.Once an eye hospital, this landmark Victorian building built in 1884, makes a grand setting for one of the finest hotels in Birmingham.

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THU 11 JUNE

CHAMBER BRASS

5pm Recital Hall£3 (advanced) £3.50 (on the door)

Birmingham Conservatoire Brass Department presents Berlin Puttin’ on the Ritz Ewald Brass Quintet No.1Farnaby Fancies, Toyes and Dreams Vinter Alla Burlesca Ewald Brass Quintet No.2Andrew Downes Brass Quintet No.2Penella El Gato Montes

A varied and entertaining programme covering three centuries of brass music from original compositions to popular arrangements. Four distinctive chamber groups demonstrate their individuality and the versatility of brass chamber ensembles.

THU 11 JUNE

STRING QUARTETS PLUS, PART II

4pm Arena Foyer£3 (advanced) £3.50 (on the door)

Students from Birmingham Conservatoire Strings DepartmentShostakovich String Quartet No.3 in F major, Op.73iii allegro non troppoBartók Duos (selection)Onslow String Quintet No.15 in C minor, Op.38, The Bulletii Menuetto: Delore, Febre e deliroiii Andante sostenuto: ConvalescenzaDvořák Terzetto, Op.74i Introduzione: Allegro ma non troppoii Larghettoiii Scherzoiv Tema con variations

Dvořák’s magnificent Terzetto for two violins and viola, the first piece for this combination, is preceded by a rare performance of Onslow’s Quintet The Bullet in which he depicts the moment he was accidentally shot in the ear during a hunting party! A selection of Bartok’s miraculous folk-derived Duos for two violins and a particularly fiery and defiant Shostakovich quartet movement complete this energetic programme.

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THU 11 JUNE

HOE DOWN! with Birmingham Conservatoire Saxophone Department

11.30am Recital Hall£3 (advanced) £3.50 (on the door)

Directors Naomi Sullivan and Anna Brooks

Students from Birmingham Conservatoire Saxophone DepartmentWill Gregory Hoe Down!Michael Torke JulyMichael Nyman Songs for TonyAndy Scott Lip Service Andy Scott Time PleaseAndy Scott Don’t Shoot The DuckYoungblood Brass Band Brookyln (arr. Naomi Sullivan)

Enjoy this exciting concert showcasing the works of living composers whose music is influenced by funk, pop, jazz, New Orleans and more. The Conservatoire’s Saxophone Ensemble works on a variety of projects across the year. The students cover a huge variety of repertoire from the Renaissance to the present day, culminating in performances at the Conservatoire and further afield.

Chamber Guitar

THU 11 JUNE

CHAMBER GUITAR

2.30pm Recital Hall£3 (advanced) £3.50 (on the door)

Students from Birmingham Conservatoire Guitar and Strings Departments

Leo Brouwer Cuban Landscape with RumbaGiuliani SonataCastelnuovo-Tedesco Quintet for guitar and string quartet, Op.143Rodrigo Tonadilla Roland Dyens Rythmaginaires

Join players from the Conservatoire’s hugely talented Guitar department for a programme that reflects iconic composers for the instrument throughout history, in the realm of chamber music.

THU 11 JUNE

THE SCHUBERT ENSEMBLE

1pm Recital Hall£6/£4 (advanced) £6.50/£4.50 (on the door)

Beethoven Piano Trio in C minor Op.1, No.3Short pieces by Conservatoire composition studentsJoseph Suk Piano Trio, Op.2

The Conservatoire’s most long-standing Ensemble-in-Residence, ever-popular with the students and widely admired internationally, perform a particularly stormy early Piano Trio of Beethoven’s, and a romantic gem by Joseph Suk, as well as presenting brand new student compositions.

The Schubert Ensemble

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THU 11 JUNE

THE ODEION STRING QUARTET

6.30pm Recital Hall£6/£4 (advanced) £6.50/£4.50 (on the door)

Peter-Louis van Dijk String Quartet IinyembeziBeethoven String Quartet Op.59 No.2

The Odeion String Quartet join us from South Africa, presenting a superb piece by their fellow-countryman, Peter-Louis van Dijk, followed by one of Beethoven’s most explosive and revolutionary string quartets.

The Odeion String Quartet

THU 11 JUNE

STRING QUARTETS AND PIANO TRIOS PART II

8pm Recital Hall£3 (advanced) £3.50 (on the door)

Students from Birmingham Conservatoire Strings and Piano Departments

Beethoven Piano Trio in D major, Op.70, No.1, Ghosti Allegro vivace e con brioMendelssohn String Quintet No.1 in A major, Op.18i Allegro con motoKodály Serenade, Op.12i Allegramente – Sostenuto ma non troppoRavel Introduction and Allegro for harp, flute, clarinet and string quartetBrahms Piano Quartet in A majori AllegroBeethoven String Quartet No.7 in F major, Op.59, No.1, ‘Razumovsky’i Allegroii Allegetto vivace e sempre scherzandoiii Adagio molto e mentoiv Thème Russe: Allegro

A movement from Beethoven’s Ghost Trio opens this titanic concert! It ends with the first Rasumovsky Quartet, which radically increased the length and scale of the quartet over anything ever conceived before. There is also a chance to hear Ravel’s septet - arguably the most sensual piece of chamber music ever written.

FRI 12 JUNE

STRING QUARTETS PLUS, PART IV, COFFEE CONCERT

11am Recital Hall£5.50 (advanced) £6 (on the door) Both including a complimentary tea or coffee.

Students from Birmingham Conservatoire Strings and Piano DepartmentsShostakovich String Quartet No.7 in F sharp minor, Op.108i Allegrettoii Lentoiii AllegroSmetana String Quartet No.1 in E minor, ‘From My Life’ iii Largo sostenutoBartók Duos (selection)Beethoven String Quartet No.2 in G major, Op.18, No.2i Allegroii Adagio cantabileiii Scherzo: Allegroiv Allegro molto, quasi presto

Join us for the second of the festival’s coffee concerts. Shostakovich’s 7th Quartet, after a deceptively mild opening, reveals itself as a revolutionary and shocking work. Smetana's 1st Quartet, titled From My Life, is the first overtly autobiographical quartet and Beethoven’s early G major Quartet, known in Germany as the Compliments quartet is unusual for Beethoven in being almost entirely non-confrontational and good-humoured.

FRI 12 JUNE

THE ODEION STRING QUARTET

12.30pm Birmingham Museum and Art GalleryFree entry

Mokale Koapeng Komeng Haydn String Quartet in D major, Op.20, No.4 Shostakovich String quartet No.2 in A major, Op.68

For their second concert in the festival, The Odeion Quartet begin with another original piece by a South African composer, this time Mokale Koapeng, that imitates Uhadi bows, followed by a quartet from Haydn’s ground-breaking Op.20 set, and Shostakovich’s unique second quartet, with its wonderful Jewish lament in the first movement.

FRI 12 JUNE

THE PRIMROSE PIANO QUARTET

1pm Recital Hall£6/£4 (advanced) £6.50/£4.50 (on the door)

Variations on a Burns’ Air By Yon CastleFrançaix String TrioElgar Piano Quintet in A minor, Op.84 (with Daniel Roberts as guest violin)

The Primrose Piano Quartet boasts some of the UK’s most renowned chamber musicians and has had a strong presence at the Conservatoire for a number of years; pianist John Thwaites is Head of Keyboard Studies and Susanne Stanzeleit teaches violin. Hear the quartet perform a fascinating programme which features their commission to celebrate the 250th anniversary of Robert Burns’s birth.

The Primrose Piano Quartet

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FRI 12 JUNE

FRIDA

7.15pm Adrian Boult Hall£3 (advanced) £3.50 (on the door)

Students from Birmingham Conservatoire Jazz and Strings Departments Stella Roberts Hope Springs EternalStella Roberts SolaceStella Roberts JamesStella Roberts Ginny’s Supper ClubStella Roberts Gilbert GrapeBjörk Joga

FRIDA is an exciting new 7-piece ensemble led by pianist Stella Roberts. The band combines the sounds of a traditional string quartet with a jazz piano trio and focuses on integrating the two genres of instruments through writing and performance.Stella draws influence from an eclectic range of styles and musicians ranging from Bill Frisell and the 858 Quartet, to Bjork’s seminal album Homogenic.

FRI 12 JUNE

STRING QUARTETS PLUS, PART V

7.45pm Recital Hall£3 (advanced) £3.50 (on the door)

Students from Birmingham Conservatoire Strings and Piano Departments

Shostakovich String Quartet No.8 in C minor Op.110, movements 1 and 2i Largoii Allegro moltoMessiaen Louange à l’Éternité de Jésus from Quartet for the End of TimeBrahms String Quintet No.2 in G major, Op.111, ii AdagioDvořák String Quintet, Op.77iv Finale. Allegro assaiSchubert String Quartet No.14 in D minor, ‘Death and the Maiden’, Finaleii Scherzo: Allegro moltoiv PrestoBrahms Sextet No.2 in G major, Op.36

Enjoy this dramatic programme which opens with movements from Shostakovich’s 8th Quartet, written in response to the bombing of Dresden. Messiaen’s Louange from the Quartet for the End of Time was composed in a Concentration Camp. Dvořák’s Quintet is the first to use a double bass as the fifth player. Schubert’s Death and the Maiden Quartet, with its ‘Dance of Death’ last movement, is one of the all-time greats. The concert finishes with Brahms’s visionary masterpiece, his Sextet in G major.

FRI 12 JUNE

CHAMBER WOODWIND PART I

2.30pm Recital Hall£3 (advanced) £3.50 (on the door)

Students from Birmingham Conservatoire Woodwind department

Martinů La Revue de Cuisine Telemann Tafelmusik for three flutes (Andante and Vivace)Bizet Minuet from L’ArlesienneJacques Ibert Trois pièces brèves Reinecke Octet, Op. 216

FRI 12 JUNE

CHAMBER WOODWOOD PART II

4pm Recital Hall£3 (advanced) £3.50 (on the door)

Students from Birmingham Conservatoire Woodwind departmentHowells Rhapsodic Quintet Bozza Quartet for WoodwindTaffanel Wind Quintet in G minor - 1st MovementHindemith Kleine Kammermusik

Join us for this wonderful selection of wind chamber music, given by students from all year groups at the Conservatoire. We have music for all tastes, from quintet classics through to serene music for wind and strings opening with the unique Jazz ballet by Martinu about the love life of cooking utensils!

FRI 12 JUNE

THE ATÉA WIND QUINTET

6pm Recital Hall£6/4 (advanced) £6.50/£4.50 (on the door)

Harrison Birtwistle 5 distancesCambini Quintet No.1Danzi Quintet in G minor

Our superb Associate Ensemble-in-Residence present three revolutionary pieces for Wind Quintet. Cambini’s work is probably the first ever written for the combination. Danzi revolutionised the timbre of the wind quintet, and through his influence the genre rivals string quartets for its delicacy and elegance. Birtwistle’s Five Distances shows the extremes to which the Quintet can be pushed.

Frida

The Atéa Wind Quintet

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SAT 13 JUNE

FESTIVAL ENSEMBLE

1pm Adrian Boult Hall£6/£4 (advanced) £6.50/£4.50 (on the door)

George Caird oboeJane Salmon celloRobin Ireland viola and violinKlee String QuartetGuy Murgatroyd piano

Handel Trio Sonata in G minor for Oboe, Violin and Continuo Lutoslawski Bucolics for Viola and CelloBritten 3 pieces from Metamorphosen for Solo OboeRobin Ireland ‘Bats’ for Solo ViolaStravinsky Three Pieces for String QuartetMozart Oboe Quartet K.370

We are delighted that the Conservatoire’s former Principal, George Caird, is participating in this concert along with his wife, and member of the Schubert Ensemble, Jane Salmon, Robin Ireland, the Festival’s organizer, and the Klee String Quartet, the superb ensemble from Japan. The unusual but accessible programme will certainly never have been presented in this combination before!

SAT 13 JUNE

‘1615’ – SUPERSIZE BRASS

1pm Library of BirminghamFree entry

Directors Susan Addision, David Blackadder, Richard Thomas

Immerse yourself in a 360° audio experience as students from the Conservatoire Brass Department perform music from Giovanni Gabrieli’s monumental collection of instrumental works Canzoni et Sonate, published 400 years ago this year. Originally intended to be performed in St. Mark’s, Venice, in separated groups of players, our performance instead uses the balconies and open spaces of the new Library of Birmingham in Centenary Square.

SAT 13 JUNE

STRING QUARTETS PLUS, PART VI

4pm Recital Hall£3 (advanced) £3.50 (on the door)

Students from Birmingham Conservatoire Strings and Piano Departments including the Klee Quartet, recent winners of the Intercollegiate String Quartet Competition, with Festival director, Robin Ireland.E.J. Moeran String Trio in G majori Allegro giovaleVaughan Williams Piano Quintet in C minori Allegro con fuocoii AndanteMozart Quintet No.4 in G minor, K516i Allegroii Menuettoiii Adagio ma non troppoiv Adagio - Allegro

Wrap yourself in the darkness of Mozart’s masterpiece of chamber music: Quintet in G minor, with its ‘revolutionary’ structure of five movements, includes the first use of mutes, in the slow movement. Vaughan Williams’ youthful Quintet is for the same combination as the trout Quintet of Schubert, and is a rarely heard delight.

SAT 13 JUNE

THE EBLANA STRING TRIO

6pm Recital Hall£6/£4 (advanced) £6.50/£4.50 (on the door)

Schoenberg String TrioSchoenberg Verklärte Nacht

For their farewell concert as Junior Fellows, the Eblana String Trio present a programme that celebrates the work of one of the most important and truly revolutionary of Twentieth Century composers. Schoenberg’s mesmerising String Trio, his final work, written in the weeks immediately after an almost fatal cardiac arrest is followed by the luscious harmonies of Verklärte Nacht (Transfigured Night), one of his earliest and best-loved works.Birmingham Conservatoire would like to thank the Eblana Trio for their fantastic work over the past two years.

SAT 13 JUNE

STRING QUARTETS PLUS, PART VII

7.45pm Recital Hall£3 (advanced) £3.50 (on the door)

Mozart Quintet in C major, K515i AllegroDebussy String Quartet No.1 in G minori Animé et très décidéRavel String Quartet in F majori Allegro moderato très douxiv Vif et agitéBeethoven Quintet in C major, Op.29, ‘The Storm’iv Presto Ravel Introduction and Allegro for harp, flute, clarinet and string quartetWilliam Walton String Quartet in A minori Allegroii Prestoiii Lentoiv Allegro

Mozart’s C major Quintet is a radical and radiant work. Debussy and Ravel created entirely new worlds of sound for the quartet. The last movement of Beethoven’s Quintet in C major well deserves it the nickname The Storm, albeit a playful one. Walton’s unique Quartet is an entirely original masterpiece of the genre.

SUN 14 JUNE

THE SYLVIA CLEAVER PRIZE FOR CHAMBER MUSIC

4pm Recital Hall£3.50 (advanced) £4 (on the door)

Hear the best ensembles from the Conservatoire compete for this coveted prize, concluding our Revolutionaries Chamber Music Festival. Birmingham Conservatoire is grateful to Birmingham Chamber Music Society for their generous support of this prize.

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www.bcu.ac.uk/revolutionaries

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Taking place during June and July, our Inspired festival is a wonderful opportunity to visit exhibitions, plays, concerts and fashion shows which are a culmination of the ingenuity, hard work and progression of our creative students. For further event information visit our website www.bcu.ac.uk/inspired.