The Fitzwilliam at Hay Chamber Music Festival

“Shostakovitch Inspired!”

This exciting Music, Words and Live Art event with music painter Maryleen Schiltkamp and the Fitzwilliam String Quartet promises to be a unique experience!  Maryleen will paint on canvas, live on stage in response to the Fitzwilliam String Quartet’s performance of Shostakovich’s 10th String Quartet. The quartet will also play Shostakovich’s 11th String Quartet and there will be readings from the composer’s diaries and memoirs by Peter Florence, Director of The Hay Festival.   Music painting is an exciting new performance art, combining live music with artistic creations on canvas.  The live painting on stage will follow and literally illustrate the musical movement and shapes heard and the colour of sound.

The Fitzwilliam is now one of the longest established string quartets in the world and achieved international recognition as a result of its members’ personal friendship with Dmitri Shostakovich and their subsequent championing of his string quartets following his death. Shostakovich entrusted them with the Western premières of the last three quartets and they became the first ever group to perform and record all fifteen.