Pastoral Phantasies
Cotillion Quartet with Johan Ferreira (Oboe)
The Cotillion String Quartet performs a program of works capturing the essence of nationalism through pastoral music. Composers in the Romantic period used music to establish a national identity, thereby giving a musical voice to the intrinsic cultures of their home countries. In the case of Haydn’s “Emperor Quartet” he brought back to Austria from England a national anthem fitting enough for Emperor Francis II. Oboist Johan Ferreira joins the Quartet in this performance playing works by Britten and Finzi. The Phantasy Quartet by Britten removes the traditional 2 part violin set from the quartet and replaces it with oboe effectively making it a work for Oboe and string trio. The Interlude by Finzi is composed for Oboe and string quartet. Both composers in their own right paint pictures of English landscapes and in doing so, by virtue of their compositional styles and influences, provide audiences with an audible taste of what English life is like. Both 20th century composers were in early developmental stages of their creative output when writing these works. The program is rounded off by a short work by Keith Moss to commemorate the occasion of playing at the Wakkerstroom Festival. The piece makes use of the phantasy model and attempts to describe the South African landscape before it was touched by the hands of industrialism and revolution.
Friends of Wakkerstroom – This performance was sponsored by Ian and Ina MacDonald
Sorry this performance is sold out. Please book for the following as optional alternatives:
Performance 20, WakkerOpera
Performance 16, Pendulum by Paz Consort