Quatuour Diotima
Gérard Pesson Bitume (London premiere)
Sam Hayden Transience (world premiere)
Harvey String Quartet No.3
Bartók String Quartet No.4
Known for their bold explorations of contemporary repertoire, Quatuor Diotima return to Spitalfields contrasting four radically different works amid the atmospheric backdrop of Shoreditch Church.
At the centre of the performance, is the world premiere Sam Hayden’s newly commissioned Transience. This is contrasted with his late mentor Jonathan Harvey’s frenetic third quartet, often regarded as a ‘modern masterpiece’, French composer Gérard Pesson’s Bitume, written for Quatuor Diotima and premiered in 2013, and the bold emotional palette of Bartók’s String Quartet No.4.
“… a sound that embraced reverie and tumult, lushness and abrasiveness, melodic richness and stark angularity.”
New York Times
Post-Concert Q&A
Join composer Sam Hayden and members of the quartet to hear more about tonight’s music.
Sam Hayden’s Transience commissioned by BBC Radio 3 and Quatuor Diotima with the support of DRAC Centre/Région Centre France
Supported by Diaphonique – a Franco-British contemporary music fund supported by the Institut Français, the SACEM, the Bureau export de la musique, the British Council and Ministère de la Culture et de la Communication
Running time: 1hr 45min, including a 20min interval (excluding post-concert Q&A)
Leila’s Shop bar will be providing refreshments before the performance and during the interval. You can pre-order drinks and light bites with your tickets. View the menu.
