Welcome to the Wheel of 4tunes Blog!


It started in Lancaster in March and has been one of our most exciting projects ever!!! In each concert the wheel is spun four times and we play the entire quartet named where it lands. The wheel is nicely balanced so that interesting and fulfilling programmes come up. These are the programmes so far:


Lancaster: 
Purcell Chaconne, Korngold 2, Kraggerud New Work, Dvorak 'American'


Bristol:        
Purcell Chaconne, Janacek 1, Kraggerud New Work, Brahms A minor


Cardiff:       
Schubert 'Quartetsatz', Haydn op33 no3, Kraggerud New Work, Bartok 1


Southampton: 
Stravinsky 3 Pieces, Shostakovich 8, Kraggerud New Work, Debussy


Bury St Edmunds: 
Purcell Chaconne, Verdi, Sculthorpe 'From Nourlangie', Tchaikovsky 1


Bedale:
Schubert 'Quartetsatz', Barber Quartet, Golijov 'Tenebrae', Dvorak 'American'


Nailsworth:
Mozart 'Adagio & Fugue', Borodin 2, Verbey 'Spring Rain', Mendelssohn op80 


Portsmouth:
Piazolla '4 For Tango', Shostakovich 8,  Golijov 'Tenbrae', Bartok 1


Risor:
Purcell 'Chaconne', Borodin 2, Kraggerud, Mendelssohn op.80


City of London Festival: 
Stravinsky 3 Pieces, Lutoslawski, Jegede 2, Mendelssohn op.80




The only really strange thing was how many times the Kraggerud came up! That segment was not frequently stopped on in other parts of the concert so it's not biased there... just weird! We've had all sorts of people spin the wheel, from sponsors and promoters to long-lost cousins and old friends and even our very first teachers from 40 years ago.
In the autumn the wheel will be touring Scotland and the North of England, then the Netherlands. Come and have a spin!

40th anniversary season!

Embarking on the Wheel of 4tunes concerts, which is one of the projects we've devised to celebrate our 40th anniversary, is a scary prospect. The lovely team at Lancaster's Great Hall are completely up for the occasion - the Wheel has been assembled and lit beautifully so it can be seen from all parts of the hall. Our music is strewn over the stage in piles of ten - one for each section of the concert - and the realization that we will only know what we are about to perform when the wheel is spun is beginning to dawn, terrifyingly. Fiona, tonight's promoter, will be the first to spin - we hold our breath as she gives the wheel a determined yank - Daniel films it on his iPhone. The wheel slows and comes to a stop on Purcell's 'Chaconne' - we find the music, take up our positions and the concert begins. Everyone seems delighted - we perform three more times in the coming days to audiences excited by the spontaneity. Wheel concerts are booked across Europe and beyond throughout this anniversary year - they'll only get easier and more enjoyable.
It's hard to believe that as 11- and 12-year-olds back in 1972 we were creating something which would keep us busy for so many years to come. My brother Mike, Ian, Alex and I were as keen and eager for this incredible music as any teen band getting together in their dad's garage after school. Looking in my old diaries I witness the excitement I felt when we decided to learn a particular work, or traveling down to London for a competition we would raid the huge oak shelves of Foyle’s music department, spending our pocket money on expanding our library. Many years later when the new Barenreiter Edition of Beethoven landed on the doormat I felt the same sense of excitement - finally ensembles were being offered exceptional insight into these incredible works, freed from the delusions of earlier editions which sought to interpret Beethoven's detailed and specific markings, fabricating dynamics, bowings, articulation to the detriment of the music.
Shostakovich has been a huge part of our lives from the very beginning - No.11 being one of the first works we ever performed in ’72 - and we grew up as the later works were being written and premiered. When Paul joined in ’82 we gradually got all fifteen under our belts and gave our first complete cycle in the QEH in 1989, followed by recordings for Teldec. With Andrew’s and then Daniel’s arrival we have always kept these works close to our hearts - it is wonderful therefore that they will form part of our anniversary celebrations, with cycles over one weekend in several cities from London's King's Place to Sydney Opera House.
This anniversary season has been a whirlwind so far, with the launch of our exclusive contract with Chandos and the release of two cds as well as many exciting concerts. The first cd is a celebratory collection of our favourite encore arrangements, Petits Fours; the
second features Debussy’s wonderful quartet (possibly my favourite quartet of them all... yikes), the early Piano Trio and Danses Sacres et Profanes. To be joined by the fabulous Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, Sioned Willliams and Chris Laurence for this cd has been a treat. Over the years we’ve recorded for various labels, including our own, but now feel really settled in the Chandos stable and look forward to many exciting projects ahead.
We have several masterclass events lined up for the season too - have just visited Glasgow and Cardiff colleges, with some London ones to come in the spring, as well as Sweden, France and Holland.
Coming to the end of this busy period which started in Japan and ended in Madrid: I'm on a flight back home after performing in the Auditorio Nacional last night. Just had a fun time with the airport staff - walking towards the gate I am spotted by Paco, a ground crew member, who claims I'm an angel from heaven and perhaps I should play a tune for them while we wait for boarding to begin. This takes me back to times when mouthy bus drivers in Middlesbrough would shout "shoulda taken up the flute" or "gizza tune"... But this time it seems genuine and something makes me want to oblige. I take out my cello and play The Swan for him... he’s beside himself with joy, the staff and waiting passengers applaud, I ask for an upgrade... it’s granted!
 

Strads in Madrid

The Palacio Real in Madrid is home to a magnificent quartet of Stradivari which are occasionally allowed to be used for concerts within the Palace by a lucky few visiting groups. In January we became members of this exclusive club.

As we entered the chambers of the Palace where the instruments are housed, we walked past the empty display cases labelled with the details of each of them, our anticipation mounting as we realized they had been removed for our use! Our first sighting of the instruments was laid out in beautiful antique cases on a huge mahogony table, the cello mounted on a stand. Everything shone. The wood caught the light in the most magical way, the ornate decoration was immaculate and astonishing. That these instruments have remained intact for 400 years, through political upheaval, wars and all manner of modernization around them is quite amazing.

The guardian of the collection, who stayed with us tenaciously through each of our rehearsal sessions, pointed out the precautions taken to keep them in such great condition whilst allowing them to be played. The cello wears a felt collar around the shoulders for all but the actual performance, the viola must be played without touching the ribs, more delicate as the decoration is painted rather than inlaid as is the case with the violins. This was quite a challenge as we were performing works of 20th century British composers who quite often call for the viola to play in the high registers! Paul tried his best to respect the request, but we all found it was all too easy to forget the magnitude of this collection as one felt so much at home playing them. The sound was warm and inviting, the blend between the four a joy to behold, yet there was a sense that they projected with a clarity all string players aspire to and rarely find. It was indeed a huge privilege to live amongst these treasures for a short time.

Before the concert we all snatched as much time alone with our instruments as we could, wandering off into corners of the beautiful concert chamber to explore them further. I was lucky and stayed on the stage, soaring through some of my daily Bach Suites and filling the room with their sound on this lovely cello.

Walking on and off the stage carrying such precious cargo was a daunting prospect and one had to just forget and treat it like any other concert. There was a heart-stopping moment though when Daniel stepped on the hem of my dress and I had to take the snap decision to keep walking as any hesitation could have caused a catastrophic domino effect! Luckily all was well. By the time we had climbed up and down the steps to the stage so many times I was ready to give the cello back, thankful that it had survived in my hands. My original plan to have another farewell play before handing it over felt too much like tempting fate and I gladly returned it to its guardian, who lost no time in locking them all away safely.

When one considers the accumulated value of four such pristine instruments which were made as a collection therefore not one of them can afford to be damaged or lost, the mind boggles. But how wonderful that the Royal Palace is so willing and happy to celebrate them by having them played regularly by the lucky few.

St Georges Bristol

We've just finished for the year - our last concert for 2010 was in one of our favourite venues and second home, St Georges in Bristol. As always here the audience was warm and open to anything - we've brought them all our off-the-wall projects as well as most of the mainstream repertoire over the years - but lots of people emailed saying they'd like to know exactly what we played as they didn't always catch the title or composer from our announcements. So here's a list of what we and the wonderful Diana Baroni performed:

Hanacpachap Cussicuinin - Trad. Peruvian hymn

La Selosa - Trad. Peru (arr. Paul Cassidy)

Una Madre Comio Asado - Osvaldo Golijov (arr. Paul Cassidy)

Impresiones de la Puna - Alberto Ginastera

Puente de los Suspiros - Chabuca Granda (arr. Quito Gato)

The Anchor Song - Bjork (arr. Paul Cassidy)

Tenebrae - Osvaldo Golijov

Interval

La Oracion del Torero - Joaquin Turina

Around the Canela Flower - Gerardo Gandini

Maria Lando - Chabuca Granda (arr. Quito Gato)

Unravel - Bjork (arr. Paul Cassidy)

Prayer of the Heart - John Taverner

Fragile - Sting (arr. Paul Cassidy)

After the last few weeks of nearly getting caught in snow-bound airports or motorways but always narrowly escaping, we're gad to be home before the forecast arrival of more arctic weather in the UK. Looking forward to the new year which kicks off with a performance at the Royal Palace in Madrid, playing on four Strads which will be released from their vault for the occasion! Can't wait!

Enjoy the holiday season. (:

Currently high over some remote part of north-west China, three movies into the Melbourne flight......that ‘Nowhere Boy’ is just fantastic. Somehow, once you accept the trauma of actually embarking on a trip like Oz it’s kind of what travelling’s all about. A bit of suffering and endurance albeit ‘lying back’ with your feet up watching telly.

Now then, back to that night in Lucerne. I have to admit to being just a wee bit smug when I think back to how we three dealt with that rather extreme situation. While most of the other passengers were standing transfixed to the screen, trying to take in the full consequences of the word ‘cancelled’ Jacky, Ian and myself had dispersed at speed in three different directions; Ian to Easyjet (the short straw!), Jacky to the train station and me to car hire. Our main concern, apart from not getting home, was our luggage. Remember,we had checked in and our bags (unusually, because we were going home) had all our music from the trip inside. We needed that music for the upcoming week’s work. Still, we decided to forge ahead, try to get home somehow and deal with the luggage situation later.

Incredibly, as I ran through the baggage area on my way to carland I noticed out of the corner of my eye a uge pile of bags just lying there in a heap; not on a belt or in a wagon, just there on the floor, abandoned. I decided to have a very quick look and, would you believe it. found all three bags after some hunting. I threw them on a trolley and continued on my way hugely relieved if somewhat perplexed as to what on earth those bags were doing there!!!

Ian called in...nothing happening with Squeasy, Jacky too, drew a blank at the train station so it was down to me. The first three companies I tried had cars but were charging €400 plus €2000 to drop in Calais......Wow! Even, considering the nightmare of staying in Zurich and probably going through hell the next day, this seemed like, really a lot of dosh! The nice, soon to be absolutely wonderful lady at National/Alamo was just pulling down the shutter as I landed on her counter, in a state begging her to have a quick look to see if she might have a car available with French plates........she, seeing the state I was in, duly complied. Never have I been so happy to accept a Citroen ( you know. One of those rather weird looking things with no dashboard other than a vastly over-sized speedometer and a push-button handbrake...too creepy). The price €385 all-in. The only French car in the building that night. I called the others, we piled into our funny little Apolleau space moblie and set sail a la vitesse. As we exited the airport we hit solid traffic sitting stationary in the rain for over an hour/ Eventually the accident debris got cleared and armed with Minstrels, M&M’s and Revels pulled into Calais just in time to see the 06.40 head north to Blighty.

We managed to get ourselves on the next freight boat (lorry driver’s b’fasts !!), hire the last car in Dover (train exhorbitant), drop Ian at home and still get home for coffee.What an escape!

One can’t help wondering, with all the emphasis on security these days; how were we able to check in bags, find them lying abandoned and then just leave the building with them without a word.....had we been somewhere a bit less laid-back maybe...!!!!!

You can imagine, going to Valencia two days later was a bit of a worry. Particularly because the old cloud was playing ‘hide-and-seek’ over the Iberian Peninsula. Incredibly, you can’t fly direct, London-Valencia these days; potentially, double-trouble.

Anyway, it all passed smoothly apart from leaving it so late that we almost didn;t get to eat....In Valencia!! Great to play with our old pal, Joan Lluna again and to be in Valencia again. We have watched that amazing city grow over the last thirty years and remain very attached to it. Maria Angeles, our mercurial Spanish agent reminded us of days gone by there; performing nine concerts in one season and over a ten year period performing all Shostakovich, all Bartok, all Schubert and pretty much, all the 2nd Viennese School. Happy days.

Golly-gosh, these blogs are tricky to keep on top of !

After another lovely Cadogan concert, this time with the very amazing Martin Roscoe, we find ourselves back in Sweden. Now Mats, our local manager, heard we were arriving on 30th April with the kids and got very excited; he was adamant that under no circumstances should we miss the great Swedish Festival which annually marks the arrival of Spring (ooops, already forgotten the name). There would be bonfires and bbqs, choirs singing and bands playing in every town and village throughout the land. Never ones for missing out on such excitements we changed to a earlier flight, got the kids out of school earlier than planned and drove like maniacs to the far S/W of Sweden (Skane) so as not to miss even the very first spark of the joyous, life-affirming, pagan-like ritual. We found the beautiful little house in the woods that was to be our home for the next few days but spent no time there at all; staying only long enough to deposit our instruments and cases before dashing at break-neck speed to the centre of town where a sizeable crowd had indeed gathered in anticipation. Sure enough, a brass band duly arrived decked out in full regalia and out in the extremely picturesque river we could clearly see what was either 'Beaversville' or the makings of a bonfire. Now I agree it was silly of me to imagine at this point, Pete Postlethwaithe taking charge of the Black Dykes and Sylvia Kristel swinging over the rapids with a flaming torch between her teeth, in a costume that would embarrass Lady Ga-Ga but........... In truth, some town burgher lit the fire which practically burnt-out before the band had warmed their tubes! The whole thing lasted about 15mins whereupon the crowd dispersed never to be seen again.

We sneaked off to a little pizza place and finished the evening with an Irish Coffee (decaf!) in a nice little place overlooking the river.

Skinnskatterburg ( or Skin-the-cat, Skinny-dipping etc......as you like) is pretty remote by any standards (have a look if you don't believe me). We flew 2hrs north and drove another 3hrs at least through beautiful, barren landscape before we finally arrived at this charming little village by a lake. Could we find our venue??? Could we 'eck! We asked as many people as we could find but were met with blank looks. Could it be our impeccable Swedish?? surely not.....might there be another Skinnygoat?? Surely not..... Turned out , the place we were playing was actually in a place to small to even name on the itinerary; Uttersburg (or un-Uttersburg, it occured to us). It was a further 9km into nowhere but boy, was it worth the effort. Situated next to what looked like a fantastic salmon river was a small group of buildings (kind of manor house with outbuildings) that had been brilliantly converted into an artistic haven. One house, our 'dressing room' was actually a printing press and another housed a wonderful cafe, charming gallery with fascinating exhibition and upstairs, a gorgeous, intimate performing space. All around was an outdoor sculpture-park an then nothingness for miles and miles........extraordinary.

What an evening we passed there; cut short unfortunately because we had to drive back to 'civilisation' for somewhere to stay. Uttersburg had become that place which jumps up and bites you and leaves an unexpected mark on your memory. We all agreed how much we would love to return there and maybe next time spend a bit more time.

You know how you usually find out that your luggage has been lost when you arrive at your destination...well, here's a first. Ian gets onboard exclaiming that they've lost his bag !! Bloomin' 'eck, more shopping. Great but we're not in Milan or somewhere, we're in Dornbirn ! Anyway, upon arrival, poor old Ian heads off to see what he can conjure up between the ski-shops, farmer's outfitters, liederhosen etc.

Come concert time he actually looked rather fetching though we couldn't decide whether the goggles were a good idea or not.

We were playing this Mend. 6tet for vln, 2vlas,(yes, 2vlas... Ian opted for the dark goggles in the end!) cello, dble bass and piano (Piers Lane and Leon Bosch). So nice for us to sometimes have extras around to chat with provide some much-needed entertainment. The promoter there is an old friend of ours, Roland Jorg, or Van the Man as we call him due to his uncanny resemblance. He's a wonderful guy with a taste for single malt. We were all remarking how much we like the inimitable cosiness provided by those wood-panelled, perfectly sealed eateries you find in Austrian/Swiss villages.

Next day we headed for Sweden (only we 4). We returned to the rather amazing hall in Uppsala which we helped open a couple of years ago. Mats, our agent up north, met us at the airport, set us up with a spanking, top of the range Volvo (or is that Borbo!?) and we were off.

One of the features of this venue is the rather extraordinary and somewhat terrifying escalator which goes from foyer to roof, Thorpe Park style; beautifully lit and enticing. A very charming young man served us dinner in the roof-top green room. The first leg of our '10 Swedish experience was looking good!