2 p.m.
The Ora Quartet with Siún Milne, violin; Molly O’Shea, violin; Ali Comerford, viola and Yseult Cooper-Stockdale, cello; perform a selection of works in this afternoon recital.
W.A. Mozart - String Quartet in F major K.590 [1790];
Florence Price - Five Folksongs in Counterpoint [1951]
Deirdre Gribbin - Before the Moon Shattered and Shone Again [2019];
Robert Schumann - String Quartet in A major Op.41 No.3 [1842]
Notes on the Programme:
The last of Mozart’s string quartets and of a set of three dedicated to the King of Prussia, the F major quartet brims with beauty, elegance and wit. Hard to believe when Mozart was debt-ridden and seriously ill, perhaps here lies an antidote for us all.
Florence Price was the first African-American woman to achieve success as a composer of symphonic music. Her first symphony was premièred in 1933 by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, an occasion of considerable social and cultural significance. Following her death in 1953 her music was largely forgotten until 2009 when a substantial collection of works and papers was discovered in her abandoned summer house in Illinois; in the years since, her music has quickly regained the recognition and popularity it deserves. As the title of this 1951 quartet suggests, it offers a selection of well known tunes lavishly dressed up with great skill and aplomb.
Deirdre Gribbin’s 'Before the Moon Shattered and Shone Again' explores cyclical time, inspired by Celtic mythology and the constant presence of the moon. It echoes nature’s cycles, symbolizing life’s waxing, waning, and renewal. The quartet is featured on Musici Ireland’s 2025 CD Earthrise
Schumann’s A major quartet is one of the greats. The delicately wistful sighing of the first movement, the inspired inventiveness of the theme and variations, the wonderful slow movement and the high-octane finale all come together as a memorable and hugely rewarding whole.
