This multicultural quartet was formed in 2019, after its musicians, who for years had collaborated in different ensembles, realised that despite their different backgrounds they share a common vision of promoting classical music in uncharted corners of the world. The name they chose, Sebun, is the number “seven” in Japanese and refers to the number of the founders’ countries of origin. This year in Chios the quartet will perform with two special guests, Hayley Wolfe on violin and Julia Palecka on viola. The four soloists, all exceptional on their instruments, have been working with major German orchestras for years and will perform a programme of classical music and variations on Japanese and Armenian traditional pieces.

Contributors
Olga Holdorff Myriangou: Violin
Hayley Wolfe: Violin
Julia Palecka: Viola
Junko Fujii: Cello

PROGRAMME

Henry Purcell (1659-1695)

(arr. for string quartet: Benjamin Britten) 

Chaconne in G minor 

Alexander Glazunov (1865-1936)

Suite for String Quartet, Op. 35

1) Scherzo. Allegro

2) Orientale. Andante

3) Tema con IV variazioni e I Alla Polacca

Tema: Moderato

Var. I: “Tranquillo” Allegro

Var. II: “Mistico” Andante

Var. Var. III: “Scherzo” Allegretto scherzando

Alla Polacca: Tempo di Polacca 

4) Valse. Moderato assai

Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924)

Crisantemi 

Hajime Koumatsu (1938-)

Japanese folk songs 

Sansa Shigure

Komitas (Soghomon Soghomonian, 1869-1935) 

(arr.: Sergei Zakharovich Aslamazian)

Armenian miniatures

Oh Nazan

Echmiadzin Dance

Clouds

Henry Purcell (1659-1695)

Dido’s Lament (from the opera “Dido and Aeneas”)

Henry Purcell (1659-1695)

(arr. for string quartet: Benjamin Britten) 

Chaconne in G minor 

The 20th-century English composer Benjamin Britten (1913-1976) had a deep love and respect for the music of his fellow composer from the Baroque period, Henry Purcell. He appreciated the clarity, brilliance and tenderness of the musical structure in his compositions. He chose to arrange his work, also known as “Chacony”, for string quartet (or orchestra). It is a timeless and highly expressive piece in the chamber music repertoire. A “chacony” is a musical form (more commonly associated with the French chaconne or the Italian ciaccona) in which a repeated bass line supports a series of variations. In this particular form, Purcell finds expressive space for the development of intense dramatic elements. Britten arranged this important work not only for its expressive richness, but also to acquaint performers and audiences with the music of his distinguished predecessor, whom he so admired.

Alexander Glazunov (1865-1936)

Suite for String Quartet, Op. 35

The prolific Russian composer of the late Romantic period, Alexander Glazunov, completed his suite for string quartet in 1891. In the brilliant Scherzo-Allegro, the characteristic pentatonics and trills that shift lightning-fast from instrument to instrument create an inspired, festive atmosphere. In the Orientale-Andante that follows, the viola’s opening solo melody foreshadows the oriental temperament of this relatively slow part of the suite. In “Tema con IV variazioni e I Alla Polacca” we hear a theme (melody) which is characteristic of the Russian musical tradition, and which Glazunov develops in interesting and diverse textures in the variations that follow. To everyone’s surprise, the composer chooses a “classical” waltz for the finale, which begins at a moderate pace but then becomes quite lively.

Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924)

Crisantemi 

In the 19th century, musical creation in Italy was monopolised by opera. Known for his famous operas, Puccini composed “Crisantemi” for string quartet in 1890, with a particularly dramatic style and intense expressiveness. A composition that has remained one of the most beautiful works of chamber music to this day. The work was inspired by the news of the sudden death of the composer’s close friend Amadeo di Savoia, Duke of Aosta. This moving elegy is named after the chrysanthemum, a flower traditionally associated with funerals in Italy. The structure of the work is based on a three-part form (essentially a da capo aria for strings) with two distinct themes. The first emphasises the fragile beauty of human nature, while the second is clearly more sorrowful. 

Hajime Koumatsu (1938-)

Japanese folk songs 

Hajime Koumatsu has collected four very famous Japanese folk songs and adapted them into his first suite for string quartet, with a strong neoclassical element in his arrangements. The first of these, “Sansa Shigure”, included in the concert programme, is an old famous folk song that was sung in the Sendai area at happy ceremonies, wedding receptions and in shops. It illustrates the noisy sound of the bamboo grass when the cold autumn rain falls. “Shigure” means rain mixed with snow, sleet. The brief cold drizzle evokes many emotions in the Japanese poet. It is a symbol of the passing of events in human life, of the death of life itself.

Komitas (Soghomon Soghomonian, 1869-1935) 

(arr.: Sergei Zakharovich Aslamazian)

Armenian miniatures

Komitas’s miniatures encapsulate all aspects of Armenian musical culture in a few minutes. Each is an invitation to travel and discover the soul of a country through its music. The string quartet arrangement by Sergei Aslamazian, founder and cellist of the Komitas Quartet, gives these miniatures an aristocratic style and enhances their emotional impact without distorting the message they convey. Aslamazian, in a highly artistic manner and with exceptional knowledge of the quartet’s technical potential, presents an individual approach to each instrument, resulting in colourful sounds. Sometimes the listener might think that they hear Armenian folk instruments and not the violin, viola or cello. The miniature “Oh Nazan” is written in a lively style. “Echmiadzin Dance” has an intense dance movement, while “Clouds” has a dreamy mood.

Henry Purcell (1659-1695)

Dido’s Lament (from the opera “Dido and Aeneas”)

The English Baroque composer Henry Purcell is particularly popular for his monumental three-act opera “Dido and Aeneas” (1688), which is still performed to this day. The opera’s most famous aria, “When I am laid in Earth”, has since been transcribed and arranged for various chamber music ensembles. The string quartet, whose origins date back to the Baroque period, is ideal for its expressiveness. At the beginning, the listener focuses on a descending chromatic melodic line in the cello, which is repeated as an ostinato throughout the piece. The clear timbres and polyphony of the four strings transport us to the tragic atmosphere of Purcell’s well-known aria.

Musicological note: Fotis Pezos