Latest news with #Quartet
Muscat Daily
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Muscat Daily
Musical greenhorns celebrate Haydn, Mozart in Muscat
An exciting musical programme of 'children performing for children' was held at the Austrian Embassy to celebrate Haydn and Mozart in Oman last week. The overall offering by nimble fingers was a feast for the senses They came, they performed, they unleashed sheer magic… Eleven budding musicians in Oman displayed their prowess with musical instruments as they celebrated the immortal compositions of Austrian grand masters – Haydn and Mozart – via renditions that held a select audience at the Austrian embassy captive on the afternoon of May 16. The 'Spring Recital' programme was organised by Sarah Shanfari Topolska and the Embassy of Austria to promote budding musical talent and give her students a platform to perform to a live audience in Muscat. It comprised 16 renditions – some solo, some duo performances – by the participants who exhibited sheer mastery over their chosen musical pieces of the Austrian masters as well as a few of French, German, American, Canadian and English composers. 'I'd love for these concerts to take place more frequently, always under the name Musical Moments – children playing for children. I've already organised such concerts at the Opera Galleria, but recently it hasn't been easy to arrange. That's why I'm extremely grateful that the Austrian Embassy has agreed to host another one,' asserted Sarah, explaining further, 'It is truly amazing to organise these concerts for children and young people, to inspire them musically. This time, only my students performed, but the idea is open to all talented children and youth. Next time, other teachers will also be involved – and I'm really counting on that.' Celebrating Haydn and Mozart This year's theme was 'Musical Moments with Haydn and Mozart. Explaining the importance of celebrating the compositions of these legendary musicians, Sarah said, 'It is important to know about Haydn and Mozart – two musical superstars from Austria – because their contributions have shaped the very foundation of classical music. 'Joseph Haydn, often called the 'Father of the Symphony' and 'Father of the String Quartet', helped define the structure of classical music and inspired generations of composers. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, a true musical genius, amazed the world with his extraordinary talent from a very young age and composed over 600 works that continue to be performed and loved around the world. 'Learning about these composers not only connects us to Austria's rich cultural heritage, but also helps young musicians understand the roots of Western music, appreciate artistic excellence, and find inspiration in their creativity and dedication.' Sarah further asserted that since the concert was organized at the Austrian embassy, she considered it a wonderful opportunity to introduce young people to great Austrian composers. She chose Haydn and Mozart – two iconic figures from the Classical period -alongside other composers from the same era. 'The students were able to remember these two important names and the musical style they represent. This experience was not only educational but also deeply enriching for their musical development. It helped them understand the historical context of the music they are learning and playing, and it brought them closer to the roots of classical music,' Sarah said, adding, 'Moments like these are incredibly valuable, as they inspire young people and broaden their artistic horizons in a meaningful and lasting way.' The music scene in Oman, according to Sarah, is growing, with more interest in classical training, performance opportunities, and cultural exchange. There is a lot of untapped talent here and young musicians will play a very important role in shaping the country's musical future, she said, adding, 'with the right support, encouragement, and exposure, these young artists can contribute to a thriving cultural scene and inspire the next generation. They are the future ambassadors of Omani music and creativity.' In a message to young musicians in Oman, she said, 'Never stop nurturing your passion for music, even while focusing on your studies. Music and education can go hand in hand – it's all about balance and discipline. Music enriches your life, sharpens your mind, and builds confidence. Whether or not you pursue it professionally, the skills and joy you gain through music will benefit you in every part of life. Stay curious, stay committed, and surround yourself with inspiration.' Spring Recital Programme 1. Fahad Al Asfoor: 'Surprise' by Joseph Haydn 2. Rosha Fahim: 'Allegro in F' by W A Mozart 3. Teng Jiaxun (violin) & Yihao Zhang (piano accompaniment): 'German Dance' by Haydn 4. Xin Rui Peng: 'Polonaise' by Mozart 5. Ava Yavari (violin) & Xin RuiPeng (piano accompaniment): 'Allegretto' by Mozart 6. Joanna Dixie Shantham: 'Bourlesque' by W A Mozart; 'Musette' by Leopold Mozart 7. Omar Abouelenein (violin) & Yihao Zhang (piano accompaniment): 'Allegro' (First Movement from a Concerto) by Haydn 8. Ava Yavari: 'Minuet in C' by Alexander Reinagle 9. Yihao Zhang: Sonata in D Major, Second Movement by W A Mozart 10. Qinchen Li (violin) &Yuchen Li (piano accompaniment): 'Polonaise' by Mozart 11. Sophie Ceska: 'Morning Sunbeam' by Florence Price 12. Yihao Zhang: 'Liebestraum' by Franz Liszt 13. Lila Hathroubi: 'Angelfish' by Anne Crosby-Gaudet 14. Xin Rui Peng: 'Love Theme' by Kevin Olson Rollin 15. Joanna Dixie Shantham: 'Indigo Moon' by Elissa Milne 16. Teng Jiaxun (violin) & Joanna Dixie Shantham (piano accompaniment): 'Ave Maria' by Charles Gounod Creative challenges Sarah further points out: The challenge we face is that not enough attention is given to children and very young performers. My youngest participant last year was only four years old, and this year was six. Just imagine how inspiring that can be for other small children – it shows them that they too can play an instrument and be part of something beautiful. Concerts where children perform for other children are not just nice to have—they are essential. They should be supported, nurtured, and given a platform where more young musicians can benefit from this kind of experience. I truly believe that even in Muscat, a venue like a hall within the Royal Opera House would be a wonderful space for such concerts. I am more than happy to prepare and present these performances, but organising the right venue is often the most difficult part. It requires open-minded support and favourable conditions. I sincerely hope that someone will take the initiative to help make this possible in the future, so that more young children's ensembles and performances can take part in these valuable musical experiences. This kind of investment in young talent will have a lasting impact on the cultural landscape of Oman. From this programme, you can see how many performers there were, I haven't even counted it yet, it should also be noted that the performers were only children, the children accompanied the concert completely on their own. We also tried to combine different forms of art, and the children who attended the concert had the opportunity to draw or paint whatever they liked or whatever inspired them from the performance. I believe that this kind of connection between music and visual art is also very important for the creative development of children.
Irish Independent
25-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
Ian Hyland: ‘When you take Windmill Lane to America, you have near instant name recognition'
The businessman has owned many media titles – but Windmill Lane Pictures could be his jewel in the crown Yesterday at 21:30 The recent news that businessman Ian Hyland had bought Windmill Lane Pictures felt – to me anyway – like a piece of the early 2000s come back to visit. It reminded me of other similar announcements of Hyland's growing stable of magazines, and of a time – much-missed – before the words 'traditional' and 'legacy' attached themselves to print media. Hyland made his money in publishing, acquiring the previously Smurfit-owned Business & Finance magazine in 2002, and then the Vincent Browne-founded Magill in 2004. He sold Magill back to Browne in 2017. Over two-plus decades, he developed what was originally a traditional magazine publishing business into something that was very event-focused, including the Dublin Tech Summit. (Established in 2017, DTS attracts 10,000 tech entrepreneurs to Dublin each year – and in fact gets underway on May 8-29.) In the US, he has Ireland INC, a business networking hub, which hosts a range of events, including Ireland Day at the New York Stock Exchange, an annual event established in 2011. The Windmill Lane acquisition comes not long after Hyland bought Quartet Books, an independent book publishing company based in London, set up in 1972 and with a back catalogue of some 2,000 books, including titles by Auberon Waugh, Brian Sewell and Isabella Blow. We're re-publishing The Palestinians by Jonathan Dimbleby So what exactly is it about these long-established brands that appeals to him? 'Most media formats have changed,' he says, over coffee in Dublin's Westin Hotel. 'But book publishing hasn't really. Quartet was quite bohemian, something that goes back to the original owner, Naim Atallah. 'He passed away during Covid in 2021, and then the business was in some trouble. I was contacted about it, I looked at it. What interested me about it was the scale and breadth of its legacy. With 2,000 titles, there's lots of different areas of potential.' Quartet, he says, will do two titles in the UK this year, two in Ireland, one in the US. 'We're looking at 10 titles in 2026, and on from there. Phase one, we're focused on non-fiction, because it was far easier to plan commercially. We're re-publishing The Palestinians by Jonathan Dimbleby, first published in 1979. Jonathan is updating that.' Hyland is all about the enhanced potential of what too often now gets called 'content', plus the potential of the bigger international markets – particularly the US, where he has been active for a long time, including as chair of Ireland INC. ADVERTISEMENT 'Quartet attracted a lot of attention from international production houses because of its titles. The possibilities there were obvious. "We weren't a producer, but we had an interest in doing this ourselves, in creating documentaries – in fact, we had already started one, around the history of Irish America – and then the opportunity of Windmill Lane Pictures came up. 'My recognition of it is as a stunning brand,' he says. 'When I hear Windmill Lane, I think of U2, Brian Eno, Salman Rushdie's contribution, the graffiti walls...' Hyland is chairman of Windmill Lane and has appointed business journalist and author John Walsh as head of content. Walsh recently co-produced The Irish Question, directed by Alan Gilsenan, and Gilsenan will edit Windmill Lane's first documentary – dealing with the future of the US-Ireland relationship. Hyland will now hire a team of full-time and freelance talent, with a particular focus on content commissioning, commercial/partnership and communications, and ultimately he will seek a CEO to steer Windmill Lane to its next chapter. During the early 1990s, the recording and visual sides of Windmill Lane split and went their separate ways. Windmill Lane Pictures moved more towards post-production – which meant that first Covid and then the Hollywood writers' strike had an impact. 'It came up, we contacted the folks, who were in liquidation, and we came to an agreement to buy,' says Hyland. 'The brand has an incredible legacy. When you take Windmill Lane to America, you have near instant name recognition. 'While respecting that, we need to take it to the next chapter. Modern-day production and distribution platforms have changed and expanded. There's the potential with short films, YouTube platforms... 'Some of that potential we will create ourselves, some of it will find us. We're not in the business where we rely on the phone ringing. We're creating.' On the back of Donald Trump's announcement of 100pc tariffs in the US on 'foreign films' and the 'Make America Film Again' plan proposed by California governor Gavin Newsom (that a $7.5bn federal incentive be aimed at US domestic film production), Hyland travelled to the US recently to engage with officials and potential partners in Washington, DC, New York and California. Asked about the impact of such tariffs and incentives, Hyland has a considered response. 'While there are many trading challenges faced by global business on the back of tariffs, it's vitally important for us to explore any opportunities by engaging with the US, given its importance to the film industry. In so doing we can build an agile and creative film production business.' Hyland also confirmed that, as a 'statement of its intent', Windmill Lane will incorporate in the United States. I wasn't good enough. So I went into newspapers So what did he want to be when he was growing up, I ask. 'Art was my first interest, I went to the college of art and design. After that, I was looking for an ad agency job – but it never happened. I was never offered one, I wasn't good enough. So I went into newspapers. 'I started at Irish Press, moved to the Sunday Press, and then went to London with them, which was wonderful. We were selling 475,000 copies a week at the time. I was very conscious of being Irish in London. It was a tricky time, even in the mid-1990s, but if you came with a media card in your hand, it made it a bit easier.' He gravitated towards 'the commercial side, the marketing side' – and when he left the Press, planned to move to the States. 'I took a job with the Smurfit-owned Business & Finance magazine, planning to stick around for a year while my visa came through. I stayed longer, but ended up leaving and coming back when they divested – and I bought that title in 2002. 'Then I bought Magill magazine – which I still wake up in a cold sweat thinking about. I bought it from Mike Hogan, who'd bought it from Vincent Browne. I had a vision of a stable of magazines – but we're Ireland, we're too small. Though we built a great convening business with Business & Finance. 'I spent most of the last years since the mid-2000s in the States, promoting Irish business and international businesses there.' What does he make of all the recent drama between the US and the rest of the world? 'The book publishing business is unaffected – tariffs aren't really relevant. But uncertainty shakes confidence.' Still, he adds, 'It's a catalyst that has presented itself to Europe to pull together. Ireland is a very good European. We have always been close to the United States. So where do we find our new role? Are we a convener, when it comes to Europe, for America? Are we a convener for Europe when it comes to the US? 'And, in fact I think filmmaking, the creative world – in a weird kind of way – can be stimulated by this kind of stuff. There are stories to tell, and there are people who want to hear them.' And what of the voices that say we should have nothing to do with America under its current administration? That we should hold ourselves aloof? 'It's the White House – and whoever the office is led by, we have to respect that, if they got there by election. 'America is very important to Ireland. And I like to think Ireland is important to America, in a number of ways. I'd be hopeful that we can all find a way forward. I think if you based your future on personalities, we'd all have problems. I think we need to work with each other. "I'm reminded of something I heard at John Reynolds' funeral – he was a good friend of mine. I remember his brother finished his eulogy by saying: 'We only have each other.' 'I think that goes for a lot of things. And it goes for what we're dealing with today.'
San Francisco Chronicle
27-04-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
This beloved S.F. quartet is disbanding after 40 years. Here's where to see its final Bay Area concert
After four decades, a beloved San Francisco ensemble will soon play its last notes together. The Alexander String Quartet plans to bid farewell to the Bay Area with a concert at Kohl Mansion in Burlingame on Sunday, May 4, before heading to the East Coast the next month for the group's final performances. Formed in 1981 in New York City, the ensemble was the first American quartet, in 1985, to win the Portsmouth (now Wigmore Hall) International String Quartet Competition. The group moved to San Francisco in 1989, where it became a stalwart of the local chamber music scene. 'They've meant a great deal not just to the area but also to the chamber music world at large,' said Music at Kohl Mansion Executive Director Patricia Kristof Moy. 'We were able to count on them so far above and beyond the call of duty. … It truly is a family feeling with the Alexanders.' Only one of the Quartet's original members — cellist Sandy Wilson — currently remains. The group's outgoing lineup also includes first violinist Zakarias Grafilo (joined 2002), second violinist Yuna Lee (joined 2023) and violist David Samuel (joined 2021). Last April, the ensemble announced it would be disbanding at the end of the 2024-25 season, and now, for the first time, the members have spoken at length about the factors that led to their decision. It 'was not ever our intention that this would be the disbanding of the Quartet,' Wilson told the Chronicle by phone from his San Francisco home. He and Paul Yarbrough, the group's founding violist, who retired in 2021, had agreed not to step down at the same time. Wilson, now 70, said that for several years, he had made clear to his younger colleagues his plans to retire at his current age, so the decision to disband was left up to Grafilo, Lee and Samuel. The three ultimately determined that the challenges of sustaining the Quartet — chief among them searching for a new cellist, who would have likely had to relocate (perhaps with a household) to pricey Northern California — were too much to handle. Academic institutions' declining appetite for supporting musical ensembles also played a role. After all, the Quartet had moved to the Bay Area in 1989 to be San Francisco State University's ensemble-in-residence through a 'town and gown' partnership between the school, the Morrison Chamber Music Foundation and San Francisco Performances. In fact, Grafilo initially met the Alexanders while an SFSU student in the mid-1990s and credits Yarbrough, then one of his chamber coaches, for encouraging him to become a full-time musician. The residency had been diminished in recent years, Wilson said, and as a result the Quartet needed to rely more on touring to sustain business. But that didn't prove easy, either. Since the pandemic, 'presenting organizations have cut back on the number of concerts they've been able to offer, so that makes it sort of difficult for groups to continue to tour,' said Grafilo, who lives in Daly City. 'It's not surprising, but for us … it seemed like a good time to hang things up on our own terms.' But that hardly means going it alone. The ensemble, which has recorded all of the Beethoven, Brahms, Béla Bartók and Zoltán Kodály quartets, has also been known for its collaborative projects — including a 2023 album that featured classical guitarist William Kanengiser and paid tribute to Sting, The Beatles and Led Zeppelin. Sharing musical knowledge has been a part of the Quartet's DNA since its earliest days. From the start, the founding members saw a market for ensemble musicians who were willing to spend time teaching in classrooms. Wilson estimated that in the Quartet's first five years of existence, he played more than 100 school concerts, mostly in Connecticut, for audiences ranging from kindergarten through high school. That later grew into regular visits for the group to Baruch College and St. Lawrence University in New York as well as Pennsylvania's Allegheny College. 'It became a way for us to be very busy and engaged and productive,' Wilson said. 'We were doing something to seed at least a modicum of knowledge and even affection for chamber music in people who are much younger than the typical demographic who would listen to us.' Educational outreach continued to be an essential component of the Quartet's service to the Bay Area. For many years, the ensemble partnered with music historian Robert Greenberg for Saturday morning concerts presented by San Francisco Performances. And Moy said that the Alexanders were the first group to regularly work with Music at Kohl to visit middle and high schools across the Peninsula, giving performances at school-wide assemblies, leading seminars that were tailored to supplement classroom curriculum and coaching student orchestras. In the spirit of expanding horizons, it's only fitting that the Quartet's final Bay Area concert is set to feature a work by the young Iranian American composer Kian Ravaei, whom the ensemble met at a festival a few summers ago and whose piece 'The Little Things' the group has performed multiple times since 2023. (An album featuring Ravaei's piece, which was loosely inspired by the poetry of Emily Dickinson, is in the works.) Also on the program is Haydn's String Quartet in G Major, Op. 77, No. 1 — one of the composer's late, lesser-known quartets — and Brahms' Piano Quintet in F Minor, Op. 34, for which the Alexanders are slated to be joined by Bay Area concert pianist Jeffrey LaDeur, a longtime friend of the group. 'We did some very good work, we've made some wonderful connections,' Wilson said. 'We have probably left something of a legacy, particularly here in the Bay Area, and we're certainly very proud of that.' The Bay Area has in recent years lost two other staple chamber ensembles, including the St. Lawrence String Quartet, which spent more than two decades as Stanford University's quartet-in-residence and disbanded last year. The Telegraph Quartet, which was previously the San Francisco Conservatory of Music's quartet-in-residence and in its early years mentored by the Alexanders, moved to Ann Arbor last fall to take up a post at the University of Michigan. 'There is life after string quartet, I've heard,' Wilson said, noting he's particularly looking forward to diving into the solo cello repertoire and flying without carrying a cello on his back, 'so we'll find out.'
San Francisco Chronicle
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Review: Kronos Festival opening night packs politics and world premieres
For more than five decades, San Francisco's Kronos Quartet has been an iconic fixture in contemporary music, expanding the string quartet repertoire and taking on contemporary challenges. Since its founding in 1978 by violinist David Harrington — who leads the ensemble as its only remaining original member — Kronos has focused on globally and socially resonant music, and the 10th annual Kronos Festival promises to continue this signature mission while simultaneously launching a new era. The festival's opening-night concert on Friday, April 25, at the SFJazz Center's Miner Auditorium began with an uplifting throwback — Terry Riley's 'Good Medicine,' an excerpt from the American minimalist composer's quartet-ballad 'Salome Dances for Peace,' which Kronos commissioned and premiered in 1986. ('Good Medicine' is the title and theme of this year's entire festival.) It all seemed so natural for Kronos that you might almost have forgotten the big news — that this concert marked the Bay Area debut of a fresh lineup. Violinist Gabriela Díaz and violist Ayane Kozasa joined the Quartet in mid-2024, succeeding longtime players John Sherba and Hank Dutt. And cellist Paul Wiancko only joined in 2023. Kronos, of course, embraces novelty with zeal. Friday's program featured four world premieres — a pair of commissioned pieces, along with two bespoke arrangements. Kronos' penchant for creative curation shone in the concert's opening half. Riley's curtain-raiser proved an entrancing romp, the music's dance-like motion blending minimalist loops, ritual drones and ecstatic violin riffs. This eclectic, folksy modernism is the ensemble's bread and butter, and the new lineup already projects a tone that is warm, fleshy, exactingly precise and seemingly effortless. That distinctive palette stitched together a dizzying spread of musical styles and traditions, including Icelandic composer Hildur Guðnadóttir's 'Folk Faer Andlit' (in a new arrangement by Kronos), the Trindidadian folk song 'A Shout' (in a new arrangement by Jacob Garchik) and South Korean musician Soo Yeon Lyuh's 'Sumbisori — Sound of Resilience' (in its world premiere). A particular standout was Peni Candra Rini's 'Hujan' (also arranged by Garchick). Here, uncanny, gliding washes of atonal polyphony moved to seductive violin serenades and groovy percussive jolts. At times, Candra Rini's evocation of Indonesia's mountains and seas echoed the rustic good humor of both Riley and 'A Shout.' The concert's second half addressed contemporary concerns most directly. The world premiere of Aleksandra Vrebalov's 'Cardinal Directions' marked the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War's conclusion. Vietnamese instrumentalist Vân-Ánh Võ joined the Quartet, playing the shimmering đàn tranh and a battery of percussion, while violist Kozasa at one point used her bow to play a set of drinking glasses, piercing the soundscape with a silvery sheen. Gabriella Smith's 'Keep Going' sought to carve out a space for joy in the face of climate change. Accompanying field recordings of environmental activists, the Quartet replaced their bows with acorns, sticks and rocks. Ethereal harmonics evoking birdsong and back-of-the-bow knocks yielded to propulsive, euphoric ensemble vamps — the kind of irrepressible optimism that suffuses Kronos' politics. The Quartet's prevailing aesthetic in confronting social and political issues has become one of exuberant excess. Kronos is celebrated for having commissioned more than 1,000 pieces, but the surfeit of musical styles and political issues means that any significant engagement is necessarily limited. For example, the five-minute 'Folk Faer Andlit' — translated as 'People Get Faces' and composed to recognize the individual humanity of refugees — was presented here divested of the context needed for the piece to hit home. 'Sumbisori,' which featured Lyuh on haegeum, explored a hauntingly aching musical palette, accompanied by breathtaking photography of South Korea's Jeju Island. But as the composer delivered spoken narration describing the island's culture of female sea-diving, the Quartet receded into monotonous minor chords. Telling this story came at the cost of musical interest and coherence. Audiences have the chance to dive deeper into the ideas inspiring two of the festival's featured composers in events on Saturday, April 26. The whirlwind mainstage concerts, however, perhaps offer more uplift than cure for our cultural ills. While we may require a stronger prescription, Kronos' 'Good Medicine' nonetheless promises the dose of hope — or at least joyful distraction — that many of us need most.
Times
22-04-2025
- Science
- Times
The race is on for supremacy in quantum computing
As a start-up, Oxford Ionics may be relatively small but it sees itself as a big player in a global computing revolution. Its quantum computing technology, which has the power to solve problems that classic computers cannot, has already won over some advocates in government. Last month Lord Vallance of Balham, the science minister, travelled to Oxford to see the firm's Quartet computer, one of 12 machines commissioned for use in the £140 million National Quantum Computing Centre. Eight have been developed by private tech companies like Oxford Ionics which was founded in 2019 by Dr Chris Ballance and Dr Tom Harty, two former Oxford University students. Speaking at the event in Oxford, Vallance said: 'Supporting things like [Oxford Ionics] sends a clear signal to
