Chamber Arts

The Escher Quartet, inspired by graphic artist M.C. Escher’s interplay between individual components working together to form a whole, performs Bartók’s second quartet alongside Mendelssohn’s anguished last major composition, and Dvořák’s joyful final quartet.

Program

Felix Mendelssohn String Quartet No. 6 in f minor, Op. 80
Béla Bartók String Quartet No. 2, Op. 17, Sz. 67
Antonín Dvořák String Quartet No. 14 in A-flat Major, Op. 105
[encore] Florence Price “Juba” from String Quartet No. 2

The Ariel Quartet and cellist Alisa Weilerstein explore how folk music influences art music, with an uninterrupted suite of traditional folk music from around the world, along with pieces dating back to the origins of Western classical music. Then, they perform Schubert’s Cello Quintet in C Major, one of the most influential works in classical repertoire.

Caroline Shaw and Gabriel Kahane, both renowned contemporary composers and performers, present a new work inspired by the magical realism of Argentine author Jorge Luis Borges’s 1939 short story, “The Library of Babel.” Their first large-scale collaboration invites audiences to contemplate the joy, grief, wonder, and bewilderment that spring from a life oversaturated in information.

Saxophonist Branford Marsalis brings his classical chops to Rackham Auditorium in a chamber music evening featuring two members of the U-M School of Music, Theatre & Dance community: saxophone professor Timothy McAllister and collaborative pianist Liz Ames.

The Rosamunde String Quartet unites esteemed musicians from renowned ensembles such as the Berlin Philharmonic, Pittsburgh Symphony, New York Philharmonic, and Los Angeles Philharmonic. Together, they share their love of chamber music with audiences worldwide.

Program

Ludwig van Beethoven String Quartet No. 3 in D Major, Op. 18, No. 3
Béla Bartók String Quartet No. 3
Franz Schubert String Quartet No. 14 in d minor (“Death and the Maiden”)

The cherished ensemble celebrates its 50th anniversary with a program that pairs Haydn and Beethoven, two innovators of the string quartet form, with Benjamin Britten’s rarely-performed String Quartet No. 2.

Program

Joseph Haydn String Quartet in C Major, Op. 54, No. 2
Benjamin Britten String Quartet No. 2 in C Major, Op. 36
Ludwig van Beethoven String Quartet No. 16 in F Major, Op. 135