MELODIC ALCHEMY

Franz Schubert | String Quartet No. 13 in A Minor (‘Rosamunde’) (34’)
Katherine Balch | Drip Music (9’)
Alexander Borodin | String Quartet No. 2 in D Major (30’)

The mysterious alchemy of an exquisite melody is a touch of genius that can evoke our most complex emotions. The bittersweet melodies of Franz Schubert’s ‘Rosamunde’ Quartet open this program in a world of beauty and longing. Katherine Balch’s inventive and exceptionally crafted Drip Music deconstructs the concept of melody into the smallest sounds and rebuilds them into a new and ecstatic soundworld. Alexander Borodin’s beloved second string quartet abounds with effortless melodies from the opening movement through the stunning Nocturne that showcase his compositional virtuosity.

THE WANDERING LINE
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | String Quartet No. 22 in B-flat Major, K. 589 (24’)
Tōru Takemitsu | A Way a lone (14’)
Benjamin Britten | String Quartet No. 1 in D Major, Op.25 (27’)

“My music is like a garden—there is no beginning and no end, only the continual flow of time.” -Tōru Takemitsu

A singular voice of the 20th century, Tōru Takemitsu redefined musical aesthetics through both his compositions and writings. A way a lone is a work that defies traditional musical narratives, yet captures a holistic experience in a world of alluring color, gesture, and silence. Mozart’s  ingenious and subtle wit is exemplified in the unexpected, sublimely balanced melodic turns of his String Quartet in B-Flat Major, K. 589, and Benjamin Britten’s String Quartet No. 1 takes the listener on an unexpected and thrilling journey through worlds of fragility, rustic abandon, introspection, and whimsy.

THE NATURE OF SELF
Harriet Steinke | too bright to see (9’)
Caroline Shaw | Entr’acte (11’)
Eleanor Alberga | String Quartet No. 1 (20’)
Robert Schumann | String Quartet No. 3 in F Major (30’)

Exploring the nature of self is a timeless fascination that has yielded some of history’s most thought-provoking art. Opening this program is Harriet Steinke’s too bright to see, a powerful meditation on finding oneself amidst the noise of modern society. In Entr’acte, Caroline Shaw takes the fleeting inspiration of a moment of Haydn through her personal looking glass into a world of abstraction, and Eleanor Alberga draws inspiration in her String Quartet No. 1 from humanity’s deepest origins as stardust. The program closes with the gallant and eccentric String Quartet No. 3 of Robert Schumann, who famously used his music to give voice to two distinct personalities within himself.

DREAMWALKER
Jessie Montgomery | Break Away (12’)
Brittany J. Green  |  Dreamwalker (arranged for JSQ 20th Anniversary) (7’)
John Adams  | selections from John’s Book of Alleged Dances (14’)
Ludwig van Beethoven  |  String Quartet in E-flat major, Op. 127 (38’)

Innovation and creativity come to life in this program of maverick composers. The first half features works by living icons Jessie Montgomery and John Adams and rising star Brittany J. Green, described by The Washington Post as “a creative force of attention-seizing versatility.” Each of these composers finds their singular path in blurring the boundaries of musical styles ranging from hip-hop and bluegrass to twentieth-century modernism. Ludwig van Beethoven’s triumphant String Quartet in E-flat Major, Op. 127, a breakaway work that was unprecedented in its expansion of the sonic world of string quartets, closes the program.