Kiss &
Concert

A little play on strings

‘En badinant’ means ‘playfully’. D’Ambrosio’s short piece takes the hint: the melody skips, turns and moves lightly on. An opening that lets you hear the pleasure of playing.

Mozart sets off at a run

Mozart opens with a burst of energy: the strings race ahead, then make room for a singing melody. The Allegro from his Divertimento in D major, K. 136 moves between nimble motion and warmth, like a conversation. With five players, you can follow every exchange at close quarters.

A love letter without words

Alice Roberts gave Elgar a poem; in 1888 he answered with music. His ‘Liebesgruss’ became ‘Salut d’amour’. The melody lingers gently, as though reluctant to leave. A personal love story told without a word.

A plea that changes everything

All around Lauretta, an argument rages over an inheritance. She wants to marry Rinuccio and needs her father’s help. In ‘Gianni Schicchi’, Puccini turns her tender plea into a melody even her father cannot resist. Here, the strings take the vocal line.

Hold back, then let go

Brahms brings the dance almost to a standstill, then sends it racing on. The familiar melody moves between restraint and fire, as though gathering fresh momentum each time. ‘Hungarian Dance No. 5’ holds all that tension within a few minutes.

Cold you can hear

Strings shiver, wind cuts through and teeth chatter. Then Vivaldi takes us indoors, beside a fire while rain falls outside. In the finale, we step onto slippery ice before the winds collide. A whole winter landscape in three movements, with the solo violin at its heart.

A voice finds stillness

Schubert’s ‘Ave Maria’ began as a young woman’s prayer in a story by Walter Scott. Above the gently flowing accompaniment, the voice traces long, unhurried lines. The melody gives a plea room to breathe. Heard at close quarters, it needs no grand gesture.

The little bell and the violin

‘La campanella’ means ‘the little bell’. In Paganini’s music, the bright melody keeps returning while the violin leaps into fresh adventures between its appearances. You can recognise the familiar idea and still be surprised by every turn. A nimble game full of wit.

Laughter for an answer

At Prince Orlofsky’s ball, Eisenstein thinks he recognises his chambermaid Adele. She simply laughs at him: a gentleman like him really ought to look more closely. In ‘Die Fledermaus’, Johann Strauß turns that laughter into a tune that sparkles and dances. The soprano gets to tease and to shine.

What words cannot say

In Massenet’s opera ‘Thaïs’, the heroine faces a decision that will change her life. Now the violin speaks for her. The melody of the ‘Méditation’ rises, grows more urgent and finds its way back to calm. You can hear this turning point without seeing the stage.

Vienna begins to sway

A few notes of the ‘Blue Danube’ are often enough to recognise it. Johann Strauß lets one waltz melody grow out of another as the music lifts and sways. Here, five players bring you a shortened version, with each voice close at hand.

One last burst of energy

After the sway of the waltz, Johann Strauß I sets a firm pace. The ‘Radetzky March’ has a clear pulse and a tune that catches the ear at once. To close, it gathers the evening’s energy one more time.