Nantwen Ensemble
Saturday, 8th March 7:30 pm 2025, St. Michael & All Angels, Cwmdu.
Image: Nantwen Ensemble
Our next concert is a performance by the Pembrokeshire-based Nantwen Ensemble. This versatile quintet, described as “a breath of fresh air” in the Western Telegraph, brings old and new to Cwmdu, including music by Schubert, Caroline Shaw, a very special commission by Welsh composer John Metcalf and a short work by Ólafur Arnalds.
The Nantwen Ensemble was founded by cellist Daniel Davies, who studied at the Royal College of Music with one of the finest cellists of his generation, Leonid Gorokhov. Daniel brings together an exceptional group of players - Lisa Obert & Lily Whitehurst (violins), Patricia Reinoso (viola) and fellow cellist, Nicola Thomas. They promise “to share their love and enthusiasm for chamber music without being stuffy.”
The ensemble will perform Schubert’s String Quintet in C Major, D. 956, his last and arguably most popular chamber work. It is often referred to as the Cello Quintet because it is scored for a classic quartet plus an extra cello – perfect for the Nantwen line-up.
They also perform Plan & Elevation by American composer, Caroline Shaw, a commission to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Dumbarton Oaks, an historic estate in Washington DC, perhaps best known for its association with Stravinsky. Plan & Elevation combines Shaw’s two great loves, music and drawing, resulting in a five-movement ‘musical drawing’ of the grounds – The Ellipse, The Cutting Gardens, The Herbaceous Border, The Orangery and The Beech Tree.
Daniel Davies is known for championing the work of Welsh composers whenever he can and John Metcalf’s String Quintet, Songs without Words, was commissioned by Nantwen in 2023. The work is inspired by three things: Strata Florida Abbey, the former Cistercian abbey near Tregaron; a Welsh hymn; and the simple prayer, Hallelujah. Daniel says it’s a work they love to play and describes the piece as “extraordinary” and “very special to us.”
And finally, an absolute must-hear is Verses, by the Icelandic composer Ólafur Arnalds. Verses is the introductory piece from his award-winning 2015 album, The Chopin Project. He takes the right-hand motif of Chopin’s Piano Sonata No 3 (Largo) and arranges it for a string quartet. It’s breathtakingly beautiful - have a sneak peek here: