Calidore String Quartet World Premiere Recital to be Presented as Part of Shriver Hall Concert Series

Shriver Hall Concert Series will present a world premiere digital recital by the Calidore String Quartet on Sunday, May 2, 2021 at 5:30pm ET. The program includes Dvořák's String Quartet No. 12 in F Major, Op. 96. "American" and Schubert's String Quartet No. 15 in G Major, D. 887, as well as the streaming world premiere of composer Hannah Lash's (b. 1981) String Quartet No. 1. The concert was recorded in a private home in New York.

Hannah Lash considers her String Quartet No. 1 her "most ambitious string quartet to date," hence "worthy of being numbered as such." She says, "In four movements, this piece seeks to place itself within the context of large string quartets, while simultaneously breaking from the genre altogether in the third movement. There is a song in the third movement, sung by the cellist. Suddenly lyrics come into play: language within an otherwise wordless context. It arrives in the final portion of this expansive movement, presented in the simplest possible manner with sparse accompaniment and a featured vocal line, appearing suddenly - something of a pop song - rupturing the surrounding music, and then disappearing as quickly as it appeared as the fourth movement begins. The four-movement form plays with the idea of thematic interconnectedness, though each movement presents its own unique character within the whole. Certain motivic mutations become obsessions. To me, building the piece felt akin to building a symphony. The ambition of the form, however, aims not at technical bravura, but at deep, sometimes wrenching expressivity - a song at the heart of the entire piece."

The Calidore String Quartet expresses, "We are thrilled to be able to present this virtual performance for the Shriver Hall Concert Series! We have an exciting program prepared with two of the great masterworks ever written for string quartet paired with a never heard virtual premiere of String Quartet No. 1 by Hannah Lash. We would like to thank the Shriver Hall Concert Series for making this event possible. As the pandemic has brought the careers of touring chamber music ensembles to a crashing halt, it is only through the kindness and hard work of organizations such as the Shriver Hall Concert Series that we have been able to continue our craft and reach audiences across the country. Thank you!"

Ticket holders can watch the concert on demand for a week after the premiere and also have access to a post-concert chat with the Quartet, moderated by Shriver Hall Concert Series Executive Director Catherine Cochran.

Concert Information

Calidore String Quartet
Sunday, May 2, 2021 at 5:30pm ET
Tickets: $15. Tickets include concert access and on-demand streaming of the concert for one week following, plus access to a post-concert Artist Conversation.
Link: www.shriverconcerts.org/calidore

DVOŘÁK: String Quartet No. 12 in F Major, Op. 96. "American"
I. Allegro ma non troppo
II. Lento
III. Molto vivace
IV. Finale: vivace ma non troppo

HANNAH LASH: String Quartet No. 1 [Streaming World Premiere]
I.
II.
III.
IV.

SCHUBERT: String Quartet No. 15 in G Major, D. 887
I. Allegro molto moderato
II. Andante un poco moto
III. Scherzo: Allegro vivace with trio: Allegretto
IV. Allegro assai

Performance to be followed by Artist Conversation with Shriver Hall Concert Series Executive Director Catherine Cochran

*Hannah Lash's String Quartet No. 1 is commissioned for the Calidore Quartet by Elizabeth and Justus Schlichting for Segerstrom Center for the Arts' Chamber Music Series, by the Shriver Hall Concert Series, and by the Fonds Kleine Zaal of the Royal Concertgebouw, a fund which is managed by Het Concertgebouw Fonds. Segerstrom Center for the Arts is the lead commissioner and co-presenter of Hannah Lash's String Quartet No. 1 and will present the live performance world premiere in February 2022.

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