Brother Tree Sound

For this 30th edition of the Made in Prague festival, Brother Tree Sound will play 3 string quartets with fascinating connections to Prague. They will be playing a quartet bursting with folk melodies, dances and life - quartet no 1 ‘From my Life’ by the 19th century Czech composer Bedřich Smetana, who was considered by many to be the father of Czech classical music and whose music is inspired by the history, legends and landscape of his native Bohemia. This autobiographical quartet tells the story of the composers life in four parts from the carefree, early days of his youth, through midlife love and heartache into his later years when the music depicts the anguish he felt with the onset of his deafness.

Elizabeth Maconchy was born in England to Irish parents. She studied with Ralph Vaughan Williams. Feeling drawn to the music of Eastern Europe and composers such as Janáček she travellled to Prague to study with Czech composer Karel Boleslav Jirák. Her quartet no 3 is short but intensely felt, with discussion between the four players around a central theme that dominates with intent.

Kateřina Horká is an emerging Czech composer. Her String Quartet no. 2 ‘Icelandic Landscape’ was the winning piece of the 7th Antonín Dvořák Composition Competition. Kateřina’s music draws inspiration from many styles and genres. This quartet is evocative and spacious depicting the vast open spaces of Iceland.

Brother Tree Sound, string quartet