LEEDS INTERNATIONAL CHAMBER SERIES 2024/25: EUROPEAN WANDERINGS

London to Paris: A journey of contrasts

CAERUS Quartet

Jonian Ilias Kadesha – violin
Pablo Hernán Benedí – violin/viola
Lily Francis – viola/violin
Vashti Hunter – cello

Henry Purcell 15 Fantasias: Nos 7, 8, & 11
Germaine Tailleferre String Quartet
Gabriel Fauré String Quartet
Benjamin Britten String Quartet No 2

To begin the 2024/25 series, the CAERUS Quartet presents highly contrasting music from France and England. The programme focuses on Benjamin Britten’s epic second string quartet which is paired with Henry Purcell’s Fantasias whose influence can be heard in the Britten.

The French part of the programme begins with an exploration of the string quartet by Germaine Tailleferre – the only female member of ‘Les Six’, a prolific group of early 20th-century French composers. This is followed by Gabriel Fauré’s very last composition, a highly lyrical, yet somehow peculiar work, significantly influenced by sacred music.