Fun, favorite quartet music featured in recital Feb. 18
 Fairmount String Quartet members are, left to right, violist Catherine Consiglio, cellist Andrew Kolb, violinists John Harrison and Nancy Luttrell. All are assistant professors at WSU and principal players in the Wichita Symphony Orchestra. |
Fairmount String Quartet will open its Faculty Artist Series recital with Ludwig Van Beethoven’s Quartet opus 18, No. 6. The concert will be at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 18, in Wiedemann Recital Hall.
The last of Beethoven’s early quartets, it is boisterous and fun, yet with sharp contrasts and abrupt changes of character that foreshadow Beethoven’s later works, says John Harrison, violinist with the quartet.
"For example, the work’s frivolous scherzo could easily have been written by Haydn, except its complex rhythms make it unclear whether the joke is on the audience or the performers," Harrison says. "Similarly, the last movement’s allegretto sounds typically classical, yet that same movement’s opening adagio is dark, serious and with extreme contrast, beyond what any other classical could have imagined."
The program will continue with Claude Debussy’s only string quartet. A French composer, Debussy lived at the height of the impressionism; his compositions reflect impressionistic painting style and development. The string quartet often sounds dreamy or airy, Harrison says.
"Even the tempo sometimes lacks definition, drifting forward and back," he says. "Because Debussy expertly combines and contrasts these ideas with more traditional ones, the work is captivating in all of its moods and has become widely recognized and appreciated by audience members and performers alike."
The concert will end with the famous Dvorak "American" string quartet. Dvorak wrote the work while on vacation at his summer home in Spillville, Iowa. Inspired and influenced by the American black spirituals and Native American chants he was hearing, he wrote the piece in just three days. It remains a favorite for its wonderfully narrative and enchanting melodies, as well as its impromptu, conversational style, says Harrison.
Other quartet members are violinist Nancy Luttrell, violist Catherine Consiglio and cellist Andrew Kolb. All are assistant professors at WSU and principal players in the Wichita Symphony Orchestra.
Call 978-3233 for reserved tickets. Prices are $4 with discounts available.
– Compiled by Julie Rausch
