Welcome to Malvern Concert Club - Malvern Concert Club

Welcome to Malvern Concert Club

Ever since its first concert on 31 October 1903, Malvern Concert Club, founded by Sir Edward Elgar, has been a cornerstone of musical life in Worcestershire. Over one hundred years later, today’s Concert Club is proud to continue that tradition of bringing the best chamber music to this part of the country. Whilst grounded in the tradition of the string quartet, each season brings a varied selection of music for small ensemble, with and without keyboard, and voice. Our performers are British and overseas musicians of international standing, with a balance of established artists and promising newcomers.

116th Season 2018-19

Malvern Concert Club's 116th season brings another regular series of six Thursday evening concerts in The Forum, Malvern Theatres. We also present the third, and last, of our President's Sunday afternoon recitals devoted to the three major song cycles of Schubert.

The Club's 116th season is a special one, as it celebrates the centenary of our founder's three major chamber works. Elgar's String Quartet, Piano Quintet and Violin Sonata were all composed in 1918 and received their premieres in 1919. All three are being performed at our final concert of this season on 2 May 2019.

We also continue our regular coach trips from Malvern to afternoon concerts in Symphony Hall, Birmingham

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Elizabeth Bass Concert: sold out

We have now sold all the tickets for the Elizabeth Bass concert on 12th April. If you would like... more»

Only two tickets left for the Elizabeth Bass concert

As of this evening (11th March) there are only two tickets left for the Elizabeth Bass concert at... more»

Ernie Kay MBE 1 April 1931 – 4 January 2019

With the death of Ernie Kay, Malvern Concert Club has lost one of its most loyal supporters, one... more»

Tickets now on sale for trip to Birmingham Symphony Hall Concert 20th March 2019

Booking is now open for the trip to THSH on 20th March 2019. The programme for the concert... more»

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Malvern Concert Club

2 weeks ago

You can read Peter Johnson's review of the recital by the Wihan Quartet on 7th March here:

The Wihan Quartet, led by Leoš Čepickỷ, belongs to a distinguished line of Czech quartets, including the Talich and the Prazac, whose members are entirely Czech. Their tradition was perfectly illustrated by tonight’s encore, the finale of Dvořák’s American Quartet, in which an uninhibited joyfulness was achieved by fine discipline and a determination to avoid everything mechanical. Vivacity and discipline also characterized Haydn’s Quartet Op. 54 No.1, driven throughout by the intelligent and communicative playing of their cellist, Michal Kaňka. The third movement, with its five-bar phrases and dancing Trio section, felt authentically Bohemian.

Beethoven’s last quartet, Op. 135 in F major, was played in the more international later-20th style, with highly dramatized gestures at the start of the Finale and a very slow Lento Assai, as if it were notated in 3/4 or 3/2 rather than 6/8. But the Bohemian lilt was never far away, as in the opening dialogues of the first movement, or the closing variation of the Lento Assai, where the cellist’s subtly swaying rhythms created the perfect ground for the first violin’s beautifully caressed arabesques.

After the interval came Tchaikovsky’s huge 3rd Quartet, music that makes very different demands on its players: no bright, jolly rhythms here but a brooding intensity that requires concentrated, sustained tone and the power to give purpose to very long phrases – and in the dark key of E flat minor. A strong Slavic sympathy for this music was everywhere apparent, and at the technical level these musicians showed just how to sustain long phrases, to shape movements over periods of fifteen minutes and more, and especially how to sustain their audience’s attention, for there was never a dull moment. Overall this was a fine and memorable performance. Let’s hope the Wihan Quartet can visit us again, perhaps with some Janáček?

Professor Peter Johnson
Royal Birmingham Conservatoire ... See MoreSee Less

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Malvern Concert Club

2 weeks ago

Thank you to the Wihan Quartet for their magnificant recital of Haydn, Beehoven and Tchaikovsky on Thursday 7th March. The quartet made a special journey to Malvern for this concert. The encore they played was the fourth movement of Dvořák's String Quartet No.12, Op. 96 "American". A recording by the Wihan Quartet is available from Nimbus. ... See MoreSee Less

Dvořák String Quartet Op. 61 and Op. 96 'American'

wyastone.co.uk

<p>Following the success of the Beethoven String Quartet cycle, the Wihan Quartet returns with their new release of Dvorák’s String Quartets. The Wihan Quartet, formed in 1985, are heirs to the gre...

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Malvern Concert Club

1 month ago

Many thanks to Iain Burnside and Roderick Williams for their splendid recital of Schubert Song, including Schwanengesang, this afternoon. The encore of Gerald Finzi's setting of 'Fear no more the heat of the sun' from Shakespeare's Cymbelline in honour of our former Publicity Officer, Vice President and benefactor Ernie Kay (1 April 1931- 4 January 2019) to whom this concert was dedicated, was entirely fitting, and very moving.

These three Sunday afternoon recitals have been full of beauty, fear, joy, sadness, and humour. Most of all they have been an extraordinary musical collaboration between one of the most able composers of song and two excellent communicators of his work. Thank you again for enriching three February afternoons for the members of Malvern Concert Club, and other admirers of Schubert's songs. ... See MoreSee Less

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© 2011-19. The design and content of this website are copyright of Malvern Concert Club and/or the artists, contributors and photographers.

Photo credits:
Benjamin Frith © Chris Nottingham; Pavel Haas Quartet © Marco Borggreve; Pavel Kolesnikov © Eva Vermandel; Tasmin Little © Benjamin Ealovega; The Gesualdo Six © AshMills; Iestyn Davies © Chris Sorensen, Thomas Dunford © Julien Benhamou; Michael Dussek © Gary Italiaander.

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