36. Crespo Series

This Midday Series in the Christian Fellowship Church explores some of the lesser-known pathways of the repertoire in a small and intimate venue. The Nightingales are an adventurous young Quartet. Some of you will remember the Danish Quartet, who came several times to Bantry and are now one of the leading Quartets in Europe. They share the same teacher and the same quality. Their recent focus is on recording the complete quartets of the Danish composer Vagn Holmboe; like his life-long role model, Haydn, he was prodigiously productive – during 70 years of composing he wrote 30 quartets. His Second Quartet is in five movements based on Bartók’s five movement symmetrical design. This is riveting music, partly a homage to Bartók, who died the same year, in particular his famous Night Music and an electrifying central Scherzo. Victoria Bond is a trail-blazing American composer, actively promoting the role of women in American music especially as a conductor. In October Nightingale Quartet gave the European premiere of her recent quartet, Blue and Green Music, a tremendous piece that generates huge energy, especially the foot-tapping finale that the Quartet deliver with panache.