Introducing the performers…

Ben Hancox (violin) 
Hannah Dawson (violin) 
Robin Ashwell (viola) 
Cara Berridge (cello) 

The award-winning Sacconi Quartet is recognised for its unanimous and compelling ensemble, consistently communicating with a fresh and imaginative approach. Performing with style and commitment, the quartet is known throughout the world for its creativity and integrity of interpretation. Formed in 2001, its four founder members continue to demonstrate a shared passion for string quartet repertoire, infectiously reaching out to audiences with their energy and enthusiasm. The quartet has enjoyed a highly successful international career, performing regularly throughout Europe, at London’s major venues, in recordings and on radio broadcasts. The Sacconi Quartet is Quartet in Association at the Royal College of Music.

In summer 2015 the Sacconi Quartet launched HEARTFELT, its most innovative project to date. A radical re-interpretation of Beethoven’s iconic String Quartet in A minor opus 132, HEARTFELT pushed the boundaries of chamber music through combining sound, light and touch, for a truly unique performance in which audience members connected with each performer’s heartbeat through holding robotic “hearts”. Developed in a unique collaboration with robotics designers Rusty Squid and lighting designer Ziggy Jacobs-Wyburn, and funded by Arts Council England, HEARTFELT received 4-star reviews from The Guardian and The Independent, and was described by the latter as “a powerful way to experience the visceral physicality of Beethoven’s profound thanksgiving”. 

2017 saw the release of three new CDs by the Sacconi Quartet. In Damascus, its CD of music by Jonathan Dove, has already hit the Classical Top Ten, and was chosen as Gramophone Magazine’s Recording of the Month, which said: “This important release cannot be recommended too highly.” Later in 2017, the quartet’s recording of Graham Fitkin’s complete string quartets was released on Signum, while its CD of three of John McCabe’s quintets on NMC in the same year featured the composer on piano in The Woman by the Sea; horn player David Pyatt in the Horn Quintet written for him and the Sacconis; and Roderick Williams in Silver Nocturnes.

2017 also saw the Sacconi Chamber Music Festival in Folkestone celebrating its tenth year with sell-out concerts and collaborations with Alasdair Beatson, Leon Bosch and Lavinia Meijer. The festival is now firmly established among the UK’s major chamber music festivals, and attracts audiences from near and far with its vibrant atmosphere and dynamic programming. 2018’s festival sees Graham Fitkin as composer in residence, and collaborations with the London Bridge Trio and others.

Firm believers in the importance of bringing chamber music to the next generation, members of the Sacconi Quartet dedicate much passion, time and energy to education work. They regularly lead workshops and give school and family concerts as part of the Sacconi Chamber Music Festival outreach programme and the CAVATINA Chamber Music Trust. Their latest project, an educational show entitled The String Thing, with script by Matthew Sharp, went down a storm wherever it was performed.

The Sacconi Quartet’s recording of Beethoven Op. 132 and Mendelssohn Op. 13, the first commercial pairing of these closely related works, was recently released, and received a 5-star review in Classical Music. The quartet’s previous release, a disc of Czech quartets, has received widespread critical acclaim and is regularly broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and Classic FM. And a debut recording of Haydn’s opus 54 quartets was praised in the press. Both their Ravel and Haydn CDs were featured in The Full Works programme on Classic FM. The quartet has also recorded for Signum, NMC and Champs Hill Records, and its 2006 Naxos recording of Finzi’s song cycle By Footpath and Stile with baritone Roderick Williams was well received by all the national broadsheets and BBC Music Magazine.

To date, the Sacconi Quartet has given twenty-one world premières and four British premières, including works by György Kurtág, Paul Patterson, John McCabe, Simon Rowland-Jones, Robin Holloway, John Metcalf and Alun Hoddinott, and performed too as the solo string quartet on Paul McCartney’s hit song Come Home.

The Sacconi Quartet has been joined on stage by many artists including Pekka Kuusisto; Melvyn Tan; Andrew Marriner; Vladimir Ashkenazy; Guy Johnston; Alasdair Beatson; Tom Poster; Matthew Rose; Bellowhead’s Jon Boden and actor Timothy West. The quartet has performed at all the major London venues and has travelled extensively throughout the rest of the UK and Europe. The quartet toured the Middle East in 2009, where it was invited by the British Council to give concerts and workshops in Jordan’s capital city, Amman. 

Great power and sweetness… intimate closeness.…”

The Spectator

A beautiful blend of sound… highly engaging.…”

The Times

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Performing…

April 29, 2018 at 11:15

  • Haydn: String Quartet in F minor, op 55 no 2, Hob III:61 (“Razor”)
  • Janáček: String Quartet no 2 (“Intimate Letters”)

Book Tickets by Telephone

Prices

  • Adults – £12.00
  • Children 11-17 – £6.00
  • Children 5-10 – Free (Please note: we do not admit children under five years old)

Call +44 7518 479062 to reserve tickets in advance

(Please note: Tickets reserved by telephone will be held at the door on the day until 11:00 only.)

More Venue & Ticketing Information

Click here for information on the Holywell Music Room, purchasing tickets from resellers and where to get your complimentary cup of coffee.