On Your Doorstep: Cushendun

Ravel String Quartet
Ibert Entr’acte for Flute and Harp
Dodgson Septet Variations
Ravel Introduction and Allegro

Musicians from the Ulster Orchestra are joined by harpist Tanya Houghton to perform another gorgeous evening of music in the Old Church Centre, Cushendun. Whether you’re new to orchestral music or a regular concertgoer, you’ll find plenty to enjoy in this programme of gems for small ensemble.

Ravel’s elegant and glowing string quartet opens gently, full of cycling melodies that conjure up the motion of a rippling stream in the sun. The central movements owe more to shade than sun, flitting in and out of eerie shadow, before bursting out into glorious rays of light at the quartet’s end. Ibert’s Entr’acte for Flute and Harp is imbued with influences from Spanish traditional music, while Dodgson’s glimmering Septet Variations and Ravel’s Introduction and Allegro explore the huge variety of colours and textures that emerge from the instrumentation of flute, clarinet, harp and string quartet to glittering, mesmerising, exquisite effect.