Starting the day with Brahms

All concerts take place in Vicars’ Hall, Cathedral Green at 10.30am and feature expositions by Roderick Swanston.

Roderick said: “As in previous composer series, the aim is to present a representative selection of a composer’s chamber music alongside some works that were contemporary and were in some way either indebted to Brahms, or connected or contrasted to Brahms.

“This year I propose amongst the contextual works two English works (Stanford String Quartet No1 and Parry’s Violin Sonata in D) that owe a good deal to Brahms’ model but which are gloriously individual at the same time. I have also included two rare string quartets by German contemporaries of Brahms. No one will regret the return of the wonderful Rheinberger Piano

Quartet which was such a hit nearly ten years ago in Chichester.”

The series is:

Wednesday, June 29: Brahms Piano Quartet in C minor Op.60; Rheinberger Piano Quartet in E flat major. The Fidelio Piano Quartet: Tamas Andras violin, Sarah-Jane Bradley viola, Gemma Rosefield cello, Michael Dussek piano.

Thursday June 30: Stanford String Quartet No.1 in G (1891); Wolf Italian Serenade in G; Brahms String Quartet in C minor Op.51 No.1. The Silk Street Quartet: Richard Blayden

violin, Gabrielle Painter violin, Nancy Johnson viola, Joely Koos cello.

Friday, July 1: Brahms String Quartet in A minor Op.51 No.2; Gernsheim String Quartet No.2 in A minor Op.31. The Schulten Quartet: Ruth Schulten violin, Takane Funatsu violin, Philip Hall viola, Michael Atkinson cello.

Wednesday, July 6: Parry Violin Sonata in D (1889); Brahms Klavierstücke Op.118 (selection);

Brahms Violin Sonata in G Op.78. Viv McLean piano, David Le Page violin.

Thursday, July 7: Brahms String Quartet in B flat major Op.67; Herzogenberg String Quartet Op.18 in D minor. The Tippett Quartet: John Mills violin, Jeremy Isaac violin, Julia O’Riordan viola, Bozidar Vukotic cello.

Friday, July 8. Herzogenberg String Trio Op.27 No.1 in A major; Brahms Quintet for Clarinet and Strings in B minor Op.115. The Chamber Players: Jessica Lee clarinet,

Susanna Candlin violin, John Mills violin, Cian O’Duill viola, Sarah Butcher cello.

£14 (each concert) or series ticket for six concerts £72.

Tickets on 01243 780192 or www.chifest.org.uk.