More Details About Juilliard String Quartet Plays Mendelssohn, Schumann
More Information
Website: http://performances.org/performances/0910/Juilliard.html
Mendelssohn: Quartet in D Major, Op. 44, No. 1
Mario Davidovsky: Quartet No. 5
Schumann: Quartet in A Major, Op. 41, No. 3
Nick Eanet, violin
Ronald Copes, violin
Samuel Rhodes, viola
Joel Krosnick, cello
The Juilliard String Quartet is appropriately known as America’s “First Family of Chamber Music.” Since its founding in 1946, the ensemble has consistently set the standard by which this vibrant and dynamic art form is measured. Now the Quartet comes to San Francisco with new first violinist Nick Eanet, most recently a concertmaster of the Metropolitan Opera.
The Juilliard String Quartet is internationally renowned and admired for performances characterized by a clarity of structure, beauty of sound, purity of line and an extraordinary unanimity of purpose. Celebrated for its performances of works by composers as diverse as Beethoven, Schubert, Bartók, and Elliott Carter, it has long been recognized as the quintessential American string quartet.
In its history, the Juilliard String Quartet has performed a comprehensive repertoire of some 500 works, ranging from the great classical composers to masters of the current century. It was the first ensemble to play all six Bartók quartets in the United States, and it was through the group's performances that the quartets of Arnold Schönberg were rescued from obscurity. An ardent champion of contemporary American music, the Quartet has premiered more than 60 compositions of American composers, including works by some of America's finest jazz musicians.
The ensemble has been associated with Sony Classical, in its various incarnations, since 1949. In celebration of the Quartet's 50th anniversary, Sony released seven CDs containing previously unreleased material as well as notable performances from the Quartet's award-winning discography. With more than 100 releases to its credit, the ensemble is one of the most widely recorded string quartets of our time; and its recordings of the complete Beethoven quartets, the complete Schönberg quartets , and the Debussy and Ravel string quartets have all received Grammy Awards. Inducted into the Hall of Fame of the National Academy for Recording Arts and Sciences in 1986 for its recording of the complete Bartók string quartets, the Juilliard Quartet was awarded the Deutsche Schallplattenkritik Prize in 1993 for Lifetime Achievement in the recording industry. In 1994, its recording of quartets by Ravel, Debussy, and Dutilleux was chosen by the Times of London as one of the 100 best classical CDs ever recorded.
San Francisco Performances
San Francisco Performances celebrates 25 years as the Bay Area's leading independent presenter of chamber music, vocal and instrumental recitals, jazz and contemporary dance. Under the artistic direction of its founder, Ruth Felt, the organization presents internationally acclaimed and emerging performing artists, introduces innovative programs, and builds new and diversified audiences for the arts through education and outreach activities that also strengthen the local performing arts community.
SFP is also committed to presenting artistically important programs that influence the development of the arts. This includes commissioning new works, offering programs featuring 20th and 21st century compositions and premieres, and presenting important American and international contemporary dance companies.