ON Friday 19 April, the Amici String Quartet will give the South African premiere of internationally acclaimed South African born composer Shane Woodborne’s third string quartet and after the interval, he will join the quartet as second cellist in Schubert’s great String Quintet in C major D956. It is a work of sublime beauty and considered one of the greatest, if not the greatest, piece of chamber music written.
The Amici String Quartet comprises four of South Africa’s most prolific and respected chamber musicians – Suzanne and Philip Martens (violins), Karin Gaertner (viola) and Peter Martens (cello). Woodborne is also a cellist in the Salzburg Camerata where he was also formerly their general manager.
South African-born Woodborne made Austria his home has since his student days at the Mozarteum in Salzburg. He has been a cellist in the coveted Salzburg Camerata since 1992. As a composer, Woodborne created commissioned works for, among others, the Beethoven Society in Bremen, the Zeitfluss Festival in Salzburg, Jeunesse and the Lindesnes Chamber Music Festival in Norway. These include works for choir and orchestra as well as song cycles, solo works and chamber music.
Peter Martens says: “It is a great honour to be given the world premiere of Woodbourne’s third string quartet. Shane Woodborne is not only a most interesting composer of international repute, but a fine cellist as well.”
In addition to this world premiere, the Amici String Quartet and Woodborne will perform Schubert’s iconic masterpiece, Schubert’s quintet in C major for string quartet and a second cello, one of the greatest jewels in the chamber music oeuvre.
The concert will take place in the excellent acoustics of the Endler Hall in Stellenbosch on Friday 19 April 2024 as part of the 2024 Endler Prestige Concert Series Season 1. Book at Webtickets.
