Concert Review by Christina Thompson-Jones

The inaugral concert of Ripon Concerts 25/26 season on Sunday October 12 was an absolute treat! The young people who were front of house welcomed us warmly and gave a lift to the proceedings. Teatime was celebrated in the interval with a delicious selection of biscuits and lots of chance to mingle and meet friends, old and new. The young musicians who performed at the start added an extra dimension with the harp and the flute.

The Fitzroy Quartet played an original and interesting programme with an American leaning. The Philip Glass String Quartet No.2 opened the concert with mesmirising rhythmic subtleties and the John Luther-Adams, Canticles of the Sky transported us from the sun-filled church to the hypnotic dimensions of the Alaskan sky. Strum, by Jessie Montgomery took us from romanticism to jazzy dance music and celebration.

The American String Quartet by Anton Dvorak was almost spiritual. The quiteness and stillness of the slow movement was breathtaking, but the audience were fully engaged, rapt up in the exquisite sound and phrasing and enjoying the energy and communicative faster movements also. The much loved themes were a perfect marriage of America and Bohemia.

This was a truly memorable concert.

FITZROY STRING QUARTET

Dan-Julian Drutac - violin I

Jure Smirnov  - violin II

Gary Marnoch – viola

Michael Newman - cello

Philip Glass: String Quartet II
John Luther-Adams: Canticles of the sky 
Jessie Montgomery: ‘Strum’
Dvorak: String Quartet No 12 in F major ‘The American’