On Thursday 3 November we performed Olivier Messiaen's Quartet for the End of Time alongside Krzysztof Penderecki's Per Slava and Quartet for clarinet & string trio.
Per Slava was written for the cellist Mstislav Rostropovich, whose friends called him Slava. On the night Tim Gill opened the concert with this moving piece for solo cello. Two very different quartets followed; Penderecki's beautiful and melancholy Quartet for clarinet & string trio and Messiaen's more well-known Quartet for the End of Time. Separating the two was a short introduction to Messiaen's masterpiece from Jonathan Cross. Cross talked insightfully about the piece's historical and musical context, inviting the audience to more fully enjoy and appreciate the wonderful work.
"I wasn’t the only one in the hall shaking my head in awe of this ‘sugar-water climax’" Seen and Heard International
“a fitting salute for the Angel who announces the end of time” Bachtrack
Quartet for the End of Time played by @Ldn_Sinfonietta last night was so beautiful, this part being one of my favourite pieces of music…https://t.co/pLFZTsJ0Sa
— Jess Bryant (@jessbryantmusic) November 4, 2022
Luxury venue for tonight’s #QuartetForTheEndOfTime with members of @Ldn_Sinfonietta at the QEH @southbankcentre pic.twitter.com/l0ugvZOgI4
— Robert Plane (@robertplane) November 3, 2022
Photography by Belinda Lawley
Published: 7 Nov 2022
