CELLO QUINTETS by Mozart, Schubert, and Boccherini will be performed by French cellist Raphaël Merlin and the RTÉ ConTempo Quartet this evening at 8pm in the Aula Maxima, NUI Galway.
Merlin, a member of the internationally acclaimed Quatuor Ebène will, with ConTempo, play Boccherini’s quintet in C major, known for its lively rondo finale and Schubert’s sublime quintet in C major. ConTempo will perform Mozart’s String Quartet K 575, notable for the dominant role of the cello in the score. Mozart wrote this quartet under financial strain in the hope to be able to sell it to the King of Prussia, who was himself an accomplished cellist.
As well as being a cellist, Raphaël Merlin, born in Clermont-Ferrand in central France, is also a jazz pianist, composer, transcriber, conductor, arranger, and teacher, with a passion for polyphony and improvisation. He has been a member of the Ebène Quartet since 2002, and before that, the jazz group, the Wildflower Quartet. He also plays duets with guitarist Kevin Seddiki and is an occasional member of the Contraste Ensemble alongside Arnaud Thorette and Johan Farjot.
Tickets are €18/14/6 from Music for Galway (091 - 705962, [email protected] ); Opus II, High Street; or www.tht.ie