An afternoon recital celebrating the mutual influence of music and poetry

An afternoon recital celebrating the mutual influence of music and poetry, with a programme of works for string quartet and soprano interspersed with readings.

Beginning with the first Razumovsky Quartet op.59 no.1 by Beethoven, whose music inspired a sequence of tender lyrical poems by Ruth Padel, the concert will include rediscovered works by Ailsa Dixon and William Alwyn’s String Quartet no.9, an intimate, expressive tone poem inspired by Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Introducing highlights from their recent recording of Ailsa Dixon’s chamber music, the Villiers Quartet will be showcasing works including the atmospheric string quartet Sohrab and Rustum, inspired by Matthew Arnold’s narrative poem, and The Spirit of Love: 3 songs for soprano and string quartet featuring settings of A E Housman’s From far, from eve and morning and F W Bourdillon’s The night has a thousand eyes. Described as 'a stunning find', the songs have become a favourite with audiences since they were premiered after the composer's death in 2020, when a review for the British Music Society concluded 'at the end of the concert there was a feeling that something special had just occurred'.