On the Road Subscription series concert

About the programme

“We’re all ‘on the road ’ from the first day of our lives: as soon as we’re catapulted into this universe, we find ourselves on a constant journey, experiencing constant change.

As musicians, we are often on the move. Being on the road brings the true meaning of home into question: on one hand, it can be a place of repose and trust, but it can also be the most complex puzzle of all.

This program is a small reflection on being on the road, and also the question of home: we begin with Luigi Boccherini’s Musica Notturna from 1780, a symbolic journey through nocturnal Madrid. Then we travel back two decades into the bright daylight of Joseph Haydn’s rarely performed Violin Concerto in G Major.

Then a big leap to the central piece, Schnittke’s String Quartet No. 3. Atonality, neoclassicism, biting representation of the contemporary world, yet with notable homages to tradition: quotes from Orlando di Lasso, Beethoven and Schostakowitsch can be heard throughout.

In between will be arrangements of short interludes from J.S. Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier. Bach’s music is the foundation for us musicians, yet at the same time represents one of the greatest challenges – similar to how we may see the question of home. Many a musician still scratches their head over a Bach despite having played his music hundreds of times.

These pieces serve as a constant ‘coming back home’ on the journey through life and through time.”

Suyeon Kang