The Apollo Quartet is coming to Reading’s Concert Hall this week as they celebrate their 40th anniversary performing together.
The event starts with a pre-concert talk from 6.30pm on Tuesday, March 11, followed by the performance at 7.30pm.
It is the first of six concerts that features new works which will be heard for the first time.
The Apollo Quartet promise that they will be melodic, uplifting, engaging and varied new works from some of the most exciting new generation of UK composers, which add to the ASQs continuing legacy of over 100 works written for the group in the last 40 years.
Then in the second half of the show, there will be music performed to accompany action on the big screen: a selection of silent films featuring anything from acrobatic flies, dancing pigs, collapsing bridges, drunken hallucinations, exploding heads and an infernal cakewalk will feature.
This homage to the early days of cinema will delight cinephiles just as much as music lovers.
Who is the Apollo Quartet?
Established in 1985, the Apollo Saxophone Quartet have commissioned and performed more than 120 works in that time.
The quartet at Rob Buckland, Carl Raven, Andy Scott, and Jim Fieldhouse, and they are based in Manchester.
Among the composers they work with are Sir Richard Rodney Bennett, Michael Torke, Michael Nyman, Graham Fitkin, Will Gregory, Dominic Muldowney, Keith Tippett, Django Bates, Barbara Thompson and Joby Talbot.
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They have toured the world, including eight visits to Japan, and been regulars on BBC Radio 3, while also appearing on television.
The group say they have always “thrived by creating the sound world in which it operates, always innovating, always leading, always moving on to the next project without looking back”.
Last year, they released a new CD featuring some of its latest compositions.
Continuum includes works by Dani Howard, Grace-Evangeline Mason, Claire Cope, Jenni Watson, Bill Connor, and Adam Caird.
How can I get tickets to see Apollo Saxophone Quartet in Reading?
The performance is at Reading Concert Hall, in Reading Town Hall, Blagrave Street on Tuesday, March 11, from 7.30pm.
Tickets cost £14, £19 or £22. There are special prices for those in education, and also for those aged 18 or under: they pay £6 a ticket, while school groups get one free ticket for every 10 students.
Adult groups of 10 or more can enjoy a 20% discount off full-price seats, and a 15% discount is available for people booking individual tickets for three or more Classical Music Alive concerts in Reading.
And if you have never been to a Classical Music Alive concert then it is possible to join in the Reading Arts test drive scheme: tickets cost £12. This is a special scheme and details can be found by logging on to Reading Arts’ website, https://whatsonreading.com/hexagon/classical-music-alive-21-22/test-drive-classical
For more details, or to book, call the Reading Arts box office on 0118 960 6060, or log on to https://whatsonreading.com/venues/town-hall/whats-on/apollo-saxophone-quartet
It is also possible to book a programme in advance.
Reading Arts say: “Printed programmes will be available on the night for £2.50 but all bookers can buy in advance for only £2.”
To do this, add the programme to your ticket when booking.
For more on Apollo Saxophone Quartet
The group has its own website, giving details of its latest projects, and the opportunity to buy copies of their CDs.
This can be found at: https://www.apollosaxophonequartet.com/
It also has a YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/user/apollosaxquartet/videos
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