HIGHAMPTON is the setting for the opening event in the Concerts in the West series, which comes to to Lower Pulworthy next weekend.

Sara Deborah Struntz (violin) and Alessandro Timossi (piano) performed for Concerts in The West last year, concluding the series with a wonderful performance of Beethoven's Sonata Opus 47, 'The Kreutzer'. 

They return with their friends Rebecca Knight and Alexandros Koustas to give West Devon audiences a spectacular evening of wonderful music, having chosen pieces by Mozart, Beethoven and Brahms.

Alexandros Koustas (Viola) is 27 and Greek.  He graduated from the Royal Academy of Music with first class honours in 2003 and took his diploma at the Royal Academy.  He has been playing with various of the top orchestras ever since, and across Europe in several Chamber groups, including the Brodowksi String Quartet (Finalists, Royal Overseas League, etc) and with the Jerusalem Quartet and the Trio Aristos.

Rebecca Knight (cello) gained a scholarship to the junior department of the Royal Academy of Music when she was 14.  

She is a graduate of the Guildhall School, where she studied with cellist Louise Hopkins.   She has given recitals in the LSO Discovery Series, the IMAI Festival Maine, USA, the Paxos International Festival, Oxford Lieder Festival, and has attended masterclasses at Prussia Cove.  

She gave the European premier of chamber works by Chen Yi in the BBC Proms, appeared at the Wigmore Hall with the Guildhall New Music Ensemble, and recently performed in an Endymion Ensemble concert of contemporary music for 8 celli with soloist Rohan de Saram at the Purcell Room. 

The programme consists firstly of  Mozart's Piano Quartet in Eb major KV 493, which he wrote in Vienna in 1786.  He was probably at the height of his fame during his time in Vienna.  It was there that he married Constanze and set himself up as an independent composer. By playing the piano and publishing music and with the occasional opera commission, he lived comfortably but his finances were a constant worry and he even considered moving to England. 

The second piece is Beethoven's String Trio in G major Op9 no1 which he wrote in Vienna probably in 1798, the year in which Nelson triumphed at the Battle of the Nile, and just when he was detecting the first signs of his impending deafness.  He had already established himself with some success as a teacher and was beginning to develop his composing skills, and deafness would have been the most cruel of afflictions.

The performance will conclude with Brahms' Piano Quartet in A major Op26.

Brahms was one of the major composers of the late Romantic era.  He started out as a teenage pianist, helping to support his family by playing in restaurants, taverns, and even brothels! He had a life of spectacular musical triumphs but failed loves. He wrote this Quartet in his native Hamburg in 1861 when he was 28.

The concert takes place at 7.30pm on Saturday March 14.  

To book ring 01837 810239, or collect tickets in advance from The Salar Gallery, Hatherleigh, 01837 810940.