St Mary’s Church, Hay-on-Wye HR3 5EB. Doors open at 4.30pm. Refreshments.

Tickets: £20 (under 25s £10.00). Weekend Saver £110.

‘Music that heals’

We are really excited to be presenting the world premiere of a new string quartet by Nigel Osborne, a renowned British Composer whose work bringing music participation into war zones, most recently in Ukraine, has impacted his compositional style, including this new work. Beethoven’s Op 132 String Quartet has been chosen to close the festival since he began writing it when he was suffering from an illness which he thought would be fatal, but from which he recovered, hence the heading of the third movement: "Heiliger Dankgesang eines Genesenen an die Gottheit, in der lydischen Tonart" ("Holy song of thanksgiving of a convalescent to the Deity).

Programme

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: String Quartet No. 14 in G Major, K387 (‘Spring’)

Nigel Osborne: new string quartet based on his experiences with war veterans in Ukraine (world premiere)

Ludwig van Beethoven: String Quartet No. 15, Op 132

The Fitzwilliam Quartet was founded in 1968 by four Cambridge undergraduates and the group quickly achieved international recognition as a result of the members’ personal friendships with Dmitri Shostakovich and subsequent championing of his string quartets following his death. He entrusted the quartet with the Western premières of the last three, and before long it had become the first quartet outside of the Soviet Union to perform and record all fifteen. These discs, which gained many international awards, secured for the quartet a worldwide concert schedule and a long-term recording contract with Decca. While the Fitzwilliam Quartet’s pre-eminence in the interpretation of these works has persisted, the authority gained has also been put to the service of a diverse list of other composers from the late 17th century to the present day. It has been working with Hay Music and its Festival for many years.

The Quartet has experienced a seismic change over the past year. It has embraced Francis Kefford on viola following the retirement from the ensemble of legendary founding-member, Alan George. After an incredible 56 years with the quartet, Alan leaves behind a cherished legacy. While Alan’s contribution will be sorely missed, the transition provides the quartet with an exciting opportunity to revise and reimagine its music-making. By continuing to add new music and fresh creativity to its core repertoire, the quartet is honouring the spirit of its foundations.