The Glasshouse

String Quartet in E flat, Op.33 No.2 ‘The Joke’

Allegro moderato – Scherzo – Largo e sostenuto – Vivace

Haydn always had a good head for business, and when he introduced his six string quartets Op. 33 to the world, he knew exactly what he was doing.

I am issuing, by subscription, for the price of 6 ducats, a work consisting of 6 Quartets for 2 violins, viola and violoncello concertante, correctly copied and WRITTEN IN AN ENTIRELY NEW AND SPECIAL WAY (FOR I HAVE NOT COMPOSED ANY FOR TEN YEARS).

This was the letter that Haydn’s regular patrons and subscribers received early in 1782. But it wasn’t just a sales pitch. These quartets really were written in a “new and special way” – music in which the four players conversed and even jested on equal terms. The swinging opening theme of the first movement doesn’t stay polite for long, as the instruments trade three-note witticisms and dart off in dazzling flurries. The cheeky folk-fiddle slides of the Scherzo (the very name means “joke”) would never pass in polite society as a minuet.

The Largo demonstrates the full expressive range of a composer who’s no longer yoked to established ideas of melody and accompaniment. And the finale…well, let’s just say that, in Haydn’s hands, the most guileless of dance-tunes can still pull the rug from under your feet with startling ease.

Septet in E flat, Op. 20

Adagio; Allegro con brio – Adagio cantabile – Tempo di Minuetto – Tema con Variazioni: Andante – Scherzo: Allegro molto e vivace – Andante con moto alla Marcia; Presto

Beethoven knew that his Septet Op. 20 was something special. It was premièred at the Burgtheater, Vienna on 2^nd April 1800, and caused such a sensation that piracy soon became a real concern. “Send my Septet into the world at a more rapid rate” he urged the music publisher Hofmeister: “because the public is waiting for it, and you know the Empress has it – and there are rascals in the Imperial city as well as at the Imperial court. So look sharp”.

Beethoven came to be irritated by the Septet’s success, reportedly muttering, later in life, that he’d like to “burn it”. But the reasons why the Septet was so successful shouldn’t be hard to hear. Its breezy, exuberant character makes an instant appeal, and the Septet also gives gloriously enjoyable opportunities to all seven of its performers. It has the six movements of a classical serenade, and as belt-and-braces for the work’s success Beethoven made the fourth of these a set of variations on a popular tune – the Rhenish folksong Ach schiffer, lieber Schiffer. Along the way there’s a romantic slow movement, a hunting-horn scherzo and opening and closing movements as brilliant (and as dramatic) as any of Beethoven’s symphonies. No wonder it was a hot property…

Internationally renowned, calling Gateshead home.

37 musicians at the top of their game. Electrifying music, old and new. All the talent, determination, and creativity of the North East on a worldwide stage. From their home at The Glasshouse International Centre for Music, Royal Northern Sinfonia share the joy and wonder of orchestral music with thousands of people across the North of England – and beyond – every year.

From symphonies to string quartets, film soundtracks to choral masses, and original performances with awesome artists from Sheku Kanneh-Mason to Self Esteem, the orchestra’s members have got one of the most varied jobs there is. They’re always looking for fresh new sounds from up-and-coming composers, inviting local communities to share a stage, and doing everything they can to inspire and prepare the musicians of tomorrow to one day take their place.

They’re also working hard to smash the barriers that can stop brilliant people getting into classical music. They’ve teamed up with national partners to support women conductors to develop their careers, to help global majority musicians get vital experience in the orchestra world, and to celebrate disabled and non-disabled musicians breaking new ground together in inclusive ensemble RNS Moves. And they bring new musical opportunities to the region, headlining the first-ever BBC Proms weekend outside London.

They’re also working hard to smash the barriers that can stop brilliant people getting into classical music. They’ve teamed up with national partners to support women conductors to develop their careers, to help global majority musicians get vital experience in the orchestra world, and to celebrate disabled and non-disabled musicians breaking new ground together in inclusive ensemble RNS Moves. And they bring new musical opportunities to the region, headlining the first-ever BBC Proms weekend outside London.

Because they whole-heartedly believe orchestral music is for anyone – big cities and rural villages, tiny babies and life-long listeners, die-hard fans and curious minds – they travel far and wide to make sure there’s top-notch classical music on offer for anyone ready to say “I’ll give that a go”. You’ll find them in churches, castles, and community venues across the North, as well as leading the charge in Carlisle, Kendal, Middlesbrough, and Sunderland.

With 65 years of success to build on, they’ve signed a dynamic artistic leadership – Music Director Dinis Sousa, Artistic Partner Maria Włoszczowska, Principal Guest Conductor Nil Venditti and Associate Conductor Ellie Slorach – to lead the way into a bold, bright future.