the raz club

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Raz Club season II 2021 - 2022

The evenings will be both live and online and will feature members of the Razumovsky Quartet, guest musicians and more.

Members who are paying a regular subscription of £10 per month will automatically have member's access to all concerts in the 2021 - 2022 season.

Stay tuned for more details. We're talking to some really exciting venues.

RAZ CLUB I 

Bartók’s intense, romantic first string quartet, filmed during lockdown in November 2020 in the Hungarian Cultural Centre in central London. 

We really enjoyed last night. Aside from the amazing music, we cooked the whole menu which was great fun. 

RAZ CLUB II

Brahms’ A minor quartet, filmed in Pear Tree House in South London in January 2021

What a fantastic evening, full of energy and zest for life. We weren't quite sure what to expect, but enjoyed it enormously and hearing you talk with such refreshing honesty about what you think and feel when you are playing made our listening all the more enjoyable.

RAZ CLUB III

Britten's second quartet in C major, full of the sounds and rhythms of the Suffolk coast. 

Filmed and recorded in February 2021 using Neumann KM84i microphones in the Anise Workshop, a newly converted 19th century chapel and 1960s warehouse complex that has been turned into an art gallery. We were joined by special guest Dr Lucy Walker from Britten Pears Arts.

Many thanks for such an enjoyable concert. Wonderful playing; quite spellbinding.

RAZ CLUB IV

Smetana Quartet no. 1 'From my life'
A musical portrait of intense young love, wild parties, and coming to terms with his total deafness. Recorded and filmed in March 2021 in the Chain Store at Trinity Buoy Wharf, London.

We were joined by Lucy Lovick and Miss Melinda who taught us how to dance the polka, and also by the curator of Longplayer Sarah Davies, who talked about the amazing installation at Trinity Buoy Wharf.

Another wonderful evening! Thank you for creating such an oasis of pleasure in the last few months. I would love it to continue - everything is just so enjoyable - the wine, food, history, the talks and of course the music.

RAZ CLUB V
Ravel's elegant and sophisticated quartet with a passionate and turbulent inner life. 

Filmed in April 2021 in Bermondsey Project Space, an art gallery housed in a former paper factory.

Thanks for a wonderful evening yesterday - you manage the technology brilliantly. It was an exciting journey, meeting old friends, making new ones and learning lots on the way. What a great concept, with brilliant explanations and personal commentaries around the playing - all so informative, informal and most of all - good fun

RAZ CLUB VI

Beethoven Quartet in A minor Op 132
Beethoven's late quartets are the pinnacle of the repertoire, and we chose this particular quartet because of its movement titled Heilige Dankgesang - Beethoven's heartfelt thanks to the heavens for his recuperation from illness.   These quartets are truly astonishing and rewarding pieces of music to play and listen to.  

Recorded and filmed in a truly breathtaking hidden gem. Few people know about the Normansfield Theatre in Teddington, and we're hugely grateful to Jo for allowing us in for the day. 

The magic of the evening is the music … you are all such wonderful players and give the performance such intensity that it feels like a live concert. The setting was perfect, and we loved the commentary and discussions.

The Raz Club has been set up for you to enjoy great music, food and wine with friends. Every evening includes:

• suggestions for what to cook - a special menu which complements the music by our in-house foodie Ruth Paton
• wine recommendations by our Raz Club Sommelier Nina Caplan, who will join us live on the night to introduce the wines. 
• tips on where to source the food and wine, often including a discounted Raz Club case from an independent wine importer, and / or ingredients or sometimes a pre-cooked special menu from a restaurant or kitchen
• expert insight into the music, the life and personality of the composer, and stories from cultural and social history
• breakout rooms to catch up with friends and meet new people if you like
• the chance to ask questions of the quartet

Each ticket gives access to your whole household, and any friends you invite.