Sacconi Quartet

Assembly House Classical presents

Thursday, 26th September at 1:00 pm

Programme

Roxanna Panufnik – Heartfelt (commissioned by Sacconi Quartet 2020)

Schubert – Quartet in D minor Death and the Maiden

“A quartet of genuine substance”

For over two decades, the Sacconi Quartet have been captivating audiences with their unanimous and compelling ensemble, consistently communicating with a fresh and imaginative approach. Formed in 2001, the four founder members share an unwavering passion for the string quartet repertoire, infectiously reaching out to audiences with their energy and enthusiasm. The Sacconis enjoy a busy international career, and are Quartet in Association at the Royal College of Music and Quartet in Residence for the town of Folkestone. Unchanged since its inception, Sacconi is Britain’s longest-established string quartet.

The Sacconi’s prolific recording career covers a broad swathe of repertoire from Haydn to present day. Their latest album of Beethoven and Schubert reached the Classical Top Ten, as did their album of music by Jonathan Dove including In Damascus, commissioned by the quartet. Other releases of recent years include premiere recordings of works by Panufnik, Graham Fitkin and John McCabe, and the magnificent Taneyev Piano Quintet with Peter Donohoe.

For their twentieth anniversary, the Quartet commissioned their latest piece from Jonathan Dove, On the Streets and In the Sky, shortly to be released on Signum Records. Their film of Dove’s first quartet Out of Time was released on Amazon in 2021. They continue to give fully staged performances of Beethoven’s opus 131 quartet, entirely from memory, in collaboration with theatre director Tom Morris.

The Sacconi Quartet is Quartet in Residence for the town of Folkestone and its surrounding areas, enabling creative collaborations with local artists and projects, and an embedded outreach programme. Recent performances of Beethoven on the Beach and Glass on the Warren seafront have attracted large audiences, many of them experiencing the energy of chamber music for the very first time. Their Sacconi Chamber

Music Festival in Folkestone is firmly established among the UK’s major chamber music festivals and attracts audiences from far and near for its vibrant atmosphere and dynamic programming.

The Quartet is indebted to the Royal Society of Musicians and Ellen Solomon for the use of their instruments.

Host or Publisher Assembly House Classical