Ravel’s String quartet in F Major, which Madeleine and her ensemble will be playing for us on February 27th (go here for tickets), was composed in 1903 – the year that saw the death of Mitrofan Beliaev, the Russian millionaire host and inspiration of Les Vendredis some of which the ensemble will also be playing.
Although now recognised as one of the greatest of chamber music pieces, Ravel’s quartet did not have a good start in life.
Ravel was already in bad odour with the Paris Conservatoire’s director, Théodore Dubois, who found his musical ideas, drawing on jazz and Asian Gamelan influences, unacceptably unconventional. Dubois had already had him expelled from the Conservatoire in 1900, and when the quartet was published in 1903 Dubois was instrumental in ensuring not only that the Conservatoire rejected it but that it would not receive the prestigious Prix de Rome either.
Debussy, meanwhile, 10 years Ravel’s senior and much respected, whose own 1893 quartet had provided the basic structure for Ravel’s, was very enthusiastic – ‘In the name of the gods of music and in my own, do not touch a single note you have written in your Quartet’. Fauré, Ravel’s erstwhile teacher, was not so keen. ‘ ‘Stunted, badly balanced, in fact a failure’ was his verdict on the last movement.
However, as so often happens, the musical public ignored the opinions of the grandees and, having already been won over by the overture to Shéhérazade (1897) and the Pavane pour une infante défunte (1899) they were happy to take the quartet to their hearts – as we hope you will be, just in case you do not already know it!
Before the Ravel, Madeleine and her colleagues will be reprising the programme devised for the V & A’s gala Fabergé evening before Christmas: Borodin’s Quartet No 2 in D major and three pieces created for Belaiev’s Friday night salons in St Petersburg in the 1890s, Les Vendredis.
For full details and to book tickets go here.
Korros celebrate Elizabeth Poston and International Women’s Day
And don’t forget that on March 10th the chapel will be hosting the Korros Ensemble for their celebration of International Women’s Day with newly discovered works by 20th century composer Elizabeth Poston plus pieces from Cheryl Frances-Hoad, harpist Catrin Finch, Howard Blake and Korros’ own Nicholas Ellis
For more details and to book tickets for 10th March go here.
With thanks to the Listeners’ Club for details on the Ravel quartet.
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