The Laefer Quartet are very excited to welcome two new members, Philip Attard and Rusne Mikiskaite! Philip joins us on the Tenor chair and Rusne on the Alto.
Philip is no stranger to the quartet, having studied at the RCM at the same time as the group, and having played in the Green-Attard duo with our Soprano player, Amy. Rusne has recently moved to the UK from the Netherlands and we are excited to welcome them both to the group.
The Laefer Quartet has been very busy recently building up to our recent recital at The Forge in Camden. Not only was it a fantastic opportunity to play at a great venue but it was a chance for us to perform two world premières!
The first, 'Dapple' was written by prize winning composer Ed Scolding. Ed described his short work like "having a blank object in the middle of a room and you're throwing paint at it from all angles. At first you're not sure what the object is however as more 'paint' is thrown the nature of the object is revealed"
The second work, by Alexander Glyde- Bates, was commissioned by the Laefer Quartet. 'AGB' (as he is colloquially known!) is a good friend of our Baritone player, Stephen, from their time together at Southampton University. The work, entitled 'Restoration', is based upon the idea of a work of art. Over time the work falls into disrepair and its image becomes obscured, it is then restored and the picture becomes clear, before time takes its toll and it falls into disrepair again. Alex applied this idea to a well known piece of classical music, taking it from it's state of disrepair, to full glory and then decomposing it again. See how quickly you can recognise the piece!
Recordings of both the works can be found on our 'Recordings' page.
As recipients of the 2014 Boconnoc Music Award the we were delighted to spend a week with the Fortescue family at the wonderful Boconnoc Estate in Cornwall. As a quartet we had an amazing experience there and thoroughly enjoyed working and staying in such a stunning location. Set in acres of grounds (including a deer park!) the Boconnoc Estate provided us with a much needed getaway from London and allowed us to focus musically in peaceful surroundings, as well as spend valuable time together.
With three concerts spaced throughout the week there was the perfect balance between time to rehearse and time to relax. Having the ability to concentrate entirely on making music together without the normal distractions of College/London life made for even more enjoyable and productive rehearsals and we were really able to grow as an ensemble. The two venues (the drawing room in the house where we performed on Tuesday and Thursday, and the Church on Friday) were both intimate and beautiful, and were a pleasure to perform in. After the house concerts we were provided with the opportunity to meet the guests over dinner, giving us a chance to get to know them, and to discuss what they liked and enjoyed about the concerts.
Aside from the musical benefits the week also provided many social highlights. The Fortescue family were delightful hosts and it was lovely to spend time with them. The location was breath-taking and it was great to spend time in such a beautiful part of the country. The Quartet would like to express its sincere thanks to the Fortescue Family for providing us with this incredible week, and the Royal College of Music for presenting us with the Boconnoc Music Award.
