The Vogler String Quartet from Berlin, recently installed as the new quartet-in- residence in Sligo, is much more than just an asset for Sligo town and county. One of the things that distinguishes the Voglers from the RTE Vanbrugh Quartet is the breadth of the Germans' interest in contemporary music. The Vanbrugh's is a largely Anglo-centric view, broadened to embrace Ireland. The Voglers cover a wide international range. For instance, in Berlin, they recently performed Morton Feldman's String Quartet II, a piece which can take anything up to nearly six hours in performance. And next Wednesday, in a concert for Music for Galway, they're playing John Cage's late (1989) Four for string quartet, alongside some early Mozart (the Quartet in G, K156), and mature Schubert (the Death and the Maiden quartet).
Also worth looking out for this week is the period instruments' Messiah at the Two Cathedrals Festival in Derry on Friday. Harry Christophers conducts his choir, The Sixteen, and The Symphony of Harmony and Invention; the soloists are Lynda Russell, Catherine Wyn Rogers, James Gilchrist, and Michael George.
