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Join this dramatic retelling of the passionate and illicit love affair that resulted in
one of the finest string quartets of the 20th century.

Having been ignored throughout his life by the Prague chattering classes as a country hick, the obstinate and determined Janácek achieved his first success at the age of 61 with Jenufa in 1916.

Janácek is as famous for his compositions as he is for his love life. At 25, he fell in love with one of his music pupils, Zdenka, who was just 14. He married her two
years later and then decided almost immediately that he no longer loved her. A year after his Jenufa triumph, he started sleeping with a singer 24 years his junior. He then became infatuated with Kamila Stösslova, a 35-year-old married woman with 2 children, who remained his obsession, and the subject of the String Quartet “Intimate Letters”, until his death in 1928.

In this dramatic recreation Timothy West reads the composer’s love letters chronologically placed between the movements of the composer’s magnificent 2nd string quartet.

Timothy West

Popular, Bradford-born, stage and screen actor, and husband of Prunella Scales. In 2003 he released his autobiography, A Moment Towards The End Of The Play. Timothy West's many theatre credits include The Collection, Quartet, King Lear and A Number and his screen credits include Exile, Bleak House, Iris and Endgame.
Timothy West tour dates

Pavao String Quartet

Not many classical string quartets can claim to have played on the Radio 1 Chart Show Live the day after performing Ravel in the Wigmore Hall. But for the Pavão Quartet this was a typical weekend! This versatile ensemble is not only highly-regarded in classical concert venues, but has enjoyed collaborations with renowned rock, pop and jazz artists and even a contemporary dance company.
Pavao String Quartet tour dates