The legacy of Beethoven’s last quartets - late Beethoven quartets and contemporary works by Mendelssohn and Schubert.
Vidago Palace, near Chaves. September 19-23 2012.
The Hotel
First opened in 1910, Vidago Palace was created to provide its guests with facilities fit for a king.
One hundred years later, after extensive restoration and renovations, the newly decorated Vidago Palace invites today’s visitors to be captivated by its Belle Époque charm. The bold colours and luxurious hand-painted wall paper give the decor a modern yet classic feel while the spa, the two pools, the golf course and the woods provide places for exercise and relaxation. In all departments the service is excellent.
The Region
Trás-os-Montes is a dry, rugged province but Chaves was built on the banks of the Tâmega, in the centre of a fertile basin.
It was known to the Romans for its thermal springs but developed into an important crossing point when the Romans under Trajan built a bridge. When the King of Leon recaptured Chaves from the Moors the town was fortified and in 1160 when it became part of the new kingdom of Portugal, the fortifications were strengthened. All that remains of the castle now is the massive square tower of the keep but the Roman bridge, in spite of losing its stone parapets, is still a dominant feature of the town.
In the rugged countryside of this sparsely populated region all sorts of activities can be arranged from the hotel – a visit to the Roman gold mines of Tresminas, hiking in the Alvão natural park, bird watching and nature photography, mushroom and chestnut picking, or a visit to a traditional smoked meat producer.
Vidago is only 30 kilometres from Galicia and from the dramatic switch back road that leads to the charming small city of Ourense and little hill top town of Puebla de Sanabria.
The Music
The legacy of Beethoven’s last quartets
Beethoven's late string quartets are seen by many as the greatest achievement in the field of chamber music. Their profundity of utterance and originality of form is both challenging and compelling. But other composers, often inspired by Beethoven, were finding their own way to scale the heights. Mendelssohn's A minor quartet was written in response to Beethoven's death in 1827 and is based unashamedly on his music. Schubert's great G major quartet of 1826 is a work of almost unbearable beauty and terrifying virtuosity
Concert 1:
Schubert A minor "Rosamunde", Beethoven op 127
Concert 2:
Schubert Quartettsatz, Mendelssohn op 13, Beethoven op 132
Concert 3:
Beethoven op 135, Schubert G major Quartet
The Musicians
Skampa Quartet.
Helena Jiríkovská, violin; Daniela Soucková, violin; Radim Sedmidubský, viola; Lukáš Polák, violoncello.
Quotations from reviews
The group exhibited wonderful musicality and an amazing sense of interpretation. They brought passion and excitement to their playing and their interpretations were perceptive, intelligent, lucid and thoughtful.
The Skampa is indeed a quartet that will be around for a long time.
Edward Reichel, Deseret News
Dvorák’s final published string quartet [Op.106] received a gloriously uninhibited performance. There are few thrills in chamber music to compare with a Czech string-quartet playing the music of its home-country.
Ben Hogwood, Classicalsource.com
They perform with utterly convincing stylistic accuracy and phenomenal, explosive intensity. Their performances are vital, alive, crisp and rhythmic, their tonal blend is beautiful and flawless, their phrasing spacious and subtle and no detail is ever ignored.
Brian Paynes, Westmorland Gazette, March 2010, BBC Music Magazine October 2009
Pricing
Based on superior double occupancy at Vidago Palace *****
4 nights, 3 concerts, 4 cocktails and dinners, transportation to restaurant outside the hotel.
1.990 Eur per person.
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