Baryshnikov Arts Center Presents Quodlibet Ensemble: Biber, Martynov + Sharlat

Baryshnikov Arts Center (BAC) concludes its Fall 2018 season on Wednesday, December 5, 2018 at 7:30pm with Quodlibet Ensemble: Music by Biber, Martynov + Sharlat at BAC's Jerome Robbins Theater (450 W. 37th Street). Quodlibet (Latin for 'whatever pleases') Ensemble is a string chamber orchestra of some of today's most sought-after musicians who come from top string quartets as well as period and new music groups. Highlighting their musical diversity, the ensemble performs an eclectic evening of classical music that spans different time periods and styles.

The program explores a simple question raised by BAC's Artistic Administrator, Pedja Muzijevic: "What is modern?" Muzijevic explains, "On one hand we have Battalia by Henrich von Biber, who in 1673, besides using techniques such as producing the sound by hitting the strings with the wooden side of the bow and instructing the bass player to use a piece of paper to make a buzzing sound, also writes a whole movement ("The Lusty Society of All Types of Humor") in which he layers different folk songs to be played simultaneously, creating a complete cacophony." To follow is the unabashedly lush and romantic Come In! (1988) by Vladimir Martynov, which Muzijevic describes as "reminiscent of Gustav Mahler and Richard Strauss at the time when complexity or experimentation seemed a requirement to be taken seriously."

The evening concludes with the U.S. Premiere of Yevgeniy Sharlat's Capriccio for Four Violins, Strings, and Harpsichord (2010), a jazzy, virtuosic homage to J.S. Bach. Of his piece, Sharlat says, "It's a Baroque concerto grosso in overdrive that obsessively riffs on Bach's English Suite, BWV 807." It was composed for Kremerata Baltica and premiered in Riga, Latvia, in 2010.

The U.S. premiere at BAC offers a more intimate rendition of the piece with one person per part and is the first performance with harpsichord. Sharlat explains, "The piece was not originally conceived with harpsichord in mind. When Katie Hyun of the Quodlibet Ensemble approached me about programming it, I thought it would be great to revise the piece to include the part. Expect it to sound it vastly differently from the original version."

The concert runs 60 minutes with no intermission.

H. Biber: Battalia (1673)

V. Martynov: Come In! (1988)

Y. Sharlat: Capriccio for 4 Violins, Strings, and Harpsichord (2010) - U.S. Premiere

The Quodlibet Ensemble is a group of unique, accomplished, and dedicated musicians who seek to learn from each other and explore the possibilities of an abundant musical spectrum. The players hold degrees from the Yale School of Music, Curtis Institute, Juilliard, New England Conservatory, and Harvard University among others.

Currently they pursue careers as performing artists in both solo and prominent chamber ensembles ranging from early music group the Sebastians, to contemporary ensemble New Morse Code, to the Aizuri String Quartet. A few of the players also serve as faculty at universities such as the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Connecticut College in addition to their performing careers. The group was founded to be a place where a wide variety of musical ideas can come into realization, bringing together performers from different backgrounds (mainly early music and modern). Quodlibet Ensemble has performed at Yale University, both at the British Arts Center and Dwight Chapel, and also performs every year for the Maxwell Shepherd Arts Fund in Collinsville, CT as well as the Spring Glen Church in Hamden, CT. Their debut CD, Quodlibet Ensemble: Concerti Grossi, in which all players adapt gut strings, was released in the fall of 2014.

Yevgeniy Sharlat has composed for large and chamber ensembles, theater, ballet, mechanical sculptures, animations, and film. His music has been performed by such groups as Kronos Quartet, Aizuri, Aeolus, and Amphion Quartets, Kremerata Baltica, Seattle Symphony, and Hartford Symphony. Honors include the Charles Ives Fellowship from American Academy of Arts and Letters, a Fromm Commission, and multiple awards from ASCAP. Sharlat is Associate Professor of Composition at The University of Texas at Austin.

Leadership support for music programming provided by the Anne and Chris Flowers Foundation and the Thompson Family Foundation.

ABOUT BARYSHNIKOV ARTS CENTER (BAC)

BAC is the realization of a long-held vision by artistic director Mikhail Baryshnikov to build an arts center in Manhattan that would serve as a gathering place for artists from all disciplines. BAC's opening in 2005 heralded the launch of this mission, establishing a thriving creative laboratory and performance space for artists from around the world. BAC's activities encompass a robust residency program augmented by a range of professional services, including commissions of new work, as well as the presentation of performances by artists at varying stages of their careers. In tandem with its commitment to supporting artists, BAC is dedicated to building audiences for the arts by presenting contemporary, innovative work at affordable ticket prices. For more information, please visit www.bacnyc.org.

Baryshnikov Arts Center Acknowledgements

Baryshnikov Arts Center is grateful for the support of its generous individual and institutional annual fund donors in 2017-2018.

Jennifer Adams; Anonymous (2); Darcy Bacon; Mikhail Baryshnikov and Lisa Rinehart; Dr. Phillip Bauman; Kate Baxter; Carol Baxter and Loren Plotkin; Tina and Jeffrey Bolton Family Fund; Catherine Brennan; Valentino D. Carlotti; Lydia and Mats G. Carlston Charitable Fund; Carroll Cartwright; Fadi, Terri and Claudine Chartouni; Mirjana Ciric and Edin Buturovic; Lori Cohen and Christopher Rothko; Frank and Monique Cordasco; Nancy Dalva; Edoard Dejoux; Michael and Denise Deleray; Richard and Jennie DeScherer; Michael Devins; Joseph and Diana DiMenna; Debbie and Harry Druker; James H. Duffy; Cheryl Lee and Steven C. Dupré; William James Earle; Jennifer and Russell Echlov; Gwen Edelman; Ehrenkranz Family Foundation; Brittawnee Enos; Michele Lee Fine; Alan and Judy Fishman; Barbara Fleischman; Richard and Nicole Fortson; Sandra Foschi; Natasha Frank; Eve R. France; Alex and Jenia Fridlyand; Randy Gaugert; Philip Giambanco; Carol Giles-Straight; Jon Gilman and Brad Learmonth; Slavka B. Glaser; Michael Goldstein and Carolyn Katz; Ain Gordon; Peter Greenleaf; Agnes Gund; Annie and John Hall; Elaine M. Halpin; Charles Hamlen; The Hare Family; Nicole and Paul Harman; Elisabeth Hayes; Jeffery Hentze; Kim Hendrickson and Grant Delin; Jano Herbosch; Rebecca M. Hetherington; Brian and Tania Higgins; Joan Hooker; In Honor of Roger Hooker; Sarah Hooker; Huong Hoang; Fred Humphrey; Fredericka Hunter; Mary Anne Hunting and Thomas Remien; Yukiko Inoue; Susan Israel; Vivek Iyer; Laith and Adele Jazrawi; Bobbo Jetmundsen; Carine Joannou; Stephanie Joel; Annie Jordan; Zuzana Justman; Julia and Michael Katz; Colleen Keegan; Leo and Nadine Keegan; Sean Kelly Gallery; Donald M. Kendall; Paul and Teresa Kim; Joan Konner and Alvin Perlmutter; Sonja Kostich; Herman Krawitz; Sali Ann Kriegsman; Iya Labunka; Nicole Leibman; Tania J. Leon; Lisa and Anton LeRoy; Charlie and Lorie Levy; Harvey Lichtman and Lauren Best; Jarrett and Maritess Lilien; Julie Lilien; Topper Lilien; Bruce Lipnick; Lew Lloyd; Nicholas Lloyd and Megan Craig; Ilana Lobet; Marianne Lockwood and David Bury; Nick and Cass Ludington; Sarah and Alec Machiels; Elizabeth Manigault; Yael Mandelstam and Ken Tabachnick; Cheryl Yeager Marshall; Paul and Caroline McCaffery; Tamara McCaw; Karen McLaughlin and Mark Schubin; Patrick A. Meere, MD and Ingrid E. Weigel, MD; Jane & Richard Mescon; Adam Miller; Valerie and Stuart Mogul; In Honor of Natalie Moody; Bob and Carol Morris; Mark Morris; Cheri Mowry; Alice and Alexander Nakhimovsky; Marion Nestle; Donald E. Newhouse;

Zoya and Anna Obraztsova; Alvise Orsini; Elizabeth Osha; Hubert and Joanna Parzecki; Ray Pepi and Karen Arrigoni; Steven and Michèle Pesner; Steve and Randi Piaker; Georgiana Pickett; Darryl Pinckney; Ronnie Planalp; Anatole Plotkin & Inna Kugel; Lily Potter; Tamar Quillen; Aidan and Elizabeth Quinn; Judith Regan; Piedad Rivadeneira; Laila Robins; James Roe; Isabella Rossellini; Christopher Rothko; Sophia Schachter; Hillary Schafer and Mark Shafir; Dorothy Scheuer; Natasha Schlesinger; Laura Schoen; Vernon Scott; Tatiana Segal; Dennis T. Serras; Dawn Sequeira and Edward Limowski; Joel Shapiro and Ellen Phelan; Wallace Shawn; Jeremy Smith; Jerry I. Speyer; Christina Sterner and Steve Poses; Lev Sviridov; Rosalie Swedlin; Michael Tersigni and David Palachek; Robert Thorpe and Laurie David; Jennifer Tipton; Rosanna and John Troiano; Igor Tsukanov; Robert Warshaw and Debbie Schmidt; Mary R. Waters; Suzanne Weil; Roger Weisberg and Karen Freedman; Michael Worden; Yelena Yoffe and Serge Troyanovsky; and Tony Zisa.

Affirmation Arts Fund; Altman Foundation; American Chai Trust; Anonymous (2); Rose M. Badgeley Residuary Charitable Trust; Bay and Paul Foundations; Consulate General of Israel in North America; The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation; The Enoch Foundation; FACE Foundation; Ferriday Fund Charitable Trust; Anne and Chris Flowers Foundation; Ford Foundation; Howard Gilman Foundation; Harkness Foundation for Dance; Irving Harris Foundation; Francena T. Harrison Foundation Trust; Israel Institute; Japan Foundation; Danny Kaye and Sylvia Fine Kaye Foundation; Kent Van-Alen Fund; The Frances Lear Foundation; The Lupin Foundation; The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; Mertz Gilmore Foundation; Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation; Stavros Niarchos Foundation; Rudolf Nureyev Dance Foundation; Muriel Pollia Foundation; Princess Grace Foundation-USA; rag & bone; The Reed Foundation; The Jerome Robbins Foundation; Blanchette Hooker Rockefeller Fund; Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation; The Shubert Foundation; The Seth Sprague Educational and Charitable Foundation; Soros Fund Charitable Foundation; The Thompson Family Foundation; and Trust for Mutual Understanding.

Lead support of dance programming at Baryshnikov Arts Center is provided by the Rudolf Nureyev Endowment.

Baryshnikov Arts Center is also grateful for support provided by the National Endowment for the Arts and public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. Funding is also made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.

Yamaha is the official piano of the Baryshnikov Arts Center As of October 1, 2018.

To post a comment, you must register and login.