Samuel Barber: String Quartet

Thursday 8 December 2022

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The latest of the Howard Assembly Room’s concerts featuring members of the Orchestra of Opera North offers the chance to experience a towering work of the twentieth century in its original setting, and in the round.

Samuel Barber was just 26 when he composed his Quartet in B minor. He quickly followed it with an arrangement for string orchestra of its extraordinary central Adagio, which found wide acceptance as an expression of mourning: at the funeral of Albert Einstein; at a memorial concert for JFK – it was one of his favourite works – and in films including The Elephant Man and Platoon. More recently, its building tension and atmosphere of intense emotion has made it an unlikely trance hit, ‘covered’ by the likes of William Orbit and Tiësto.

For the inaugural concert in our new Distilled series, players from the Orchestra perform the full Quartet, revealing the exquisite workings of the Adagio in its original context.

Opening the concert, the Overture on Hebrew Themes is scored for clarinet, quartet and piano and was commissioned by a group of Prokofiev’s former fellow students at the St. Petersburg Conservatory who presented the composer with a notebook of traditional Jewish folk tunes.

Price
£8

Start time
7pm

Read our COVID-19 guidance »

Programme

Prokofiev Overture on Hebrew Themes
Cinq Mélodies Op 35
Barber ‘With rue my heart is laden’
‘Sure on this shining night’
(Arr. for cello and piano)

String Quartet in B minor, Op. 11

Distilled

Featuring players from the staff and Orchestra of Opera North, our Distilled series explores new ways in which to present classical music. A chance to experience small ensembles interacting at close quarters, each of these shorter chamber programmes offers an intense experience of orchestral music in its purest essence.

Howard Assembly Room

Howard Assembly Room

A year-round festival of music, performance and ideas, in the heart of Leeds.

Under 30s membership

Under 30s membership

Are you 16-29 years old or a full-time student? Get discounted tickets to brilliant shows at the Howard Assembly Room.

Kino

Kino

Open from Tuesday to Saturday, Kino is our restaurant and bar located below the Howard Assembly Room, presenting the best independent food, beers and wines.

Samuel Barber: String Quartet
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