Photo: Elizabeth DelageMolinari Quartet: Transparency – February 17, 2023 LiveEvents February 11, 2023 801 Transparency: Elegance in English music The Molinari Quartet puts the spotlight on English music for its next concert on February 17th with the impressive Quartet no. 2 by Benjamin Britten and Thomas Adès’ second quartet entitled Four Quarters. The concert will also be the occasion for the Molinari Quartet to premiere Brian Cherney’s Quartet no.7. This concert season bears witness to the great talent of this renown Montreal ensemble as well as to paying tribute to the strong and intense musical repertoire for the string quartet. “The works to be played on this concert all have in common musical refinement, elegance and subtlety,” says Olga Ranzenhofer, founder and artistic director of the Quartet. The Molinari’s celebrate Montrealer Brian Cherney’s 80th anniversary by premiering his 7th string quartet, especially written for them. Cherney’s music is always very sensitive and full of subtleties. Thomas Adès’ second string quartet, Four Quarters is divided in four movements that each represent a time of day. From the transparency of harmonic sounds to intense pizzicatos, the composer plays around with complex rhythms without ever hindering the beautiful sounds of the work. To close the concert, the stately second quartet by Benjamin Britten carries us away with its warm lyricism and its chacony, which he wrote to commemorate the 250th anniversary of Henry Purcell’s death. 25th anniversary of Molinari Quartet Acclaimed by the public and the international musical critic since its foundation in 1997, the Molinari Quartet dedicates itself to the rich string quartet repertoire of the 20th and 21st centuries. It is formed by world class musicians: Olga Ranzenhofer (violin), Antoine Bareil (violin), Frédéric Lambert (viola), and Pierre-Alain Bouvrette (cello). Winner of 23 Opus Prizes given by the Conseil québécois de la musique for its excellence in concert music, the Molinari Quartet is recognized as one of the best ensembles in the country. Critics describe the quartet as « essential », « prodigious », and « Canada’s answer to the international quartets Kronos and Arditti ». Throughout the past quarter of a century, the Molinari Quartet has produced 20 albums, played over 300 works including 123 Canadian pieces (75 from Quebec), 123 world premieres and 79 commissions. It has also organized 8 editions of its successful Molinari Quartet International Composition Competition, receiving over a thousand unpublished pieces from 70 countries. ProgramBrian Cherney: Quartet no. 7(premiere)Thomas Adès: Four QuartersBenjamin Britten: Quartet no. 2 Concert hall of the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal4750 Henri-Julien Avenue Friday, February 17, 2023 at 7:30pmTo purchase your tickets visit: https://conservatoire-montreal.tuxedobillet.com/ Dialogue on the Plateau: TransparencyIn preparation for the February 17th Transparency concert at the Conservatoire, the musicians of the Molinari Quartet invite you to come and dialogue with them on the works to be heard during that concert. During this free workshop, the musicians and composer Brian Cherney will discuss the works, play excerpts and analyze the quartets to enable the public to have a better listening experience and understanding of the works. They will also answer questions regarding the quartets, instrumental practice and the work of musicians. This a free workshop activity will be at the Maison de la culture Plateau-Mont-Royal (465 Mont-Royal East), on Sunday, February 12 at 2:00pm.
