Tinalley String Quartet with Lior: Through Nature to Eternity

Tinalley String Quartet, one of Australia’s finest and internationally recognised chamber ensembles presents their first program for the 2016 season, Through Nature to Eternity with special guest artist, ARIA awarded singer/songwriter Lior.

 Made up of Adam Chalabi (1st violin), Lerida Delbridge (2nd violin), Justin Williams (viola) and Michelle Wood (cello), Tinalley String Quartet has been inspired to move in a new direction in 2016, presenting programs that merge the classical world of the string quartet with new commissions and collaborations. The concert experience of Through Nature to Eternity is true to this path, drawing on the richness of tradition, yet reaching out to the modern world and challenging the senses.

Opening with Ravel’s effusive String Quartet in F Major, one of the genres most beloved works, the program takes shape of a musical narrative of love, loss and compassion with the world premiere of Song Cycle by Lior and Melbourne composer, Ade Vincent. This composition features the words of Dylan Thomas’ Do not go gentle into that good night and Hazel Hall’s Hours. The Quartet then explores echoes of love cherished, tormented and forgotten in three of Dvořák’s rousing love songs from his collection of rarely played Cypresses.

Lior takes centre stage with the achingly beautiful My Grandfather from his album Scattered Reflections, a deeply personal song referencing his grandfather’s escape from Polish concentration camps and ensuing life as a Russian sniper.

Barber’s haunting Adagio from his String Quartet Opus 11, a work now associated with times of mourning, is brought to life by Tinalley in its original form for string quartet. Concluding the evening is a reimagining of Sim Shalom from Nigel Westlake’s Compassion, written in collaboration with Lior for the Sydney Symphony in 2013. This performance offers audiences a more intimate musical experience of the work that draws from the rich worlds of Islam and Judaism. It is in essence, a collection of profound and poetic messages inspiring the idea of compassion between human beings.

“I have been a great admirer of the Tinalley String Quartet for many years and have had the privilege of previously working with some of its members on my own album recordings. Coupled with the opportunity to write with such a fine young composer in Ade Vincent on a song cycle, as well as performing a string quartet adaptation of a movement from my recent collaborative work with Nigel Westlake – ‘Compassion’ – this concert is personally a very appealing event to be a part of, ” said Lior.

Lerida Delbridge, 2^nd Violinist of the Tinalley String Quartet first worked with Lior in 2004:“I first met Lior when I recorded one of the string lines for his song, ‘This Old Love’. At that moment, I knew that here was a musician with a uniquely beautiful voice and the rare ability to capture raw emotion in song.   I have had the privilege of working with Lior many times for various music festivals and recordings, but this is the first time that we have worked together from a ‘classical’ point of view! Given his stunning work with Nigel Westlake in Compassion, I can’t wait to see this beautiful project come to life”.

Performances in the intimate surrounds of the Utzon Room at the Sydney Opera House on May 2 and 3, and the Elisabeth Murdoch Hall at the Melbourne Recital Centre on May 4, offer the opportunity to experience an evocative evening of music making with TInalley String Quartet and the truly remarkable voice of Lior.

PROGRAM:

Ravel String Quartet in F major

Ade Vincent/Lior Song Cycle (World Premiere)*

Dvorak Cypresses 2, 3 & 4 for String Quartet

Lior My Grandfather

Barber Adagio from String Quartet Opus 11

Nigel Westlake/Lior Sim Shalom from Compassion for String Quartet & Voice^#

*Commissioned by Melbourne Recital Centre

^# Commissioned by Julian Burnside QC

EVENT DETAILS:

Melbourne

4 May 2016, 7.30pm, Elisabeth Murdoch Hall, Melbourne Recital Centre

Bookings – Ph. 03 9699 3333 or melbournerecital.com.au

Cost: Adults $50 · Concession $40 · Under 30 $30 

More information: www.tinalley.com.au