Calder Quartet and Pianist Suzana Bartal Present U.S. Premiere Of Eric Tanguy's Piano Quintet At The Wallis

Piano virtuoso Suzana Bartal, considered one of the foremost pianists of her generation, returns to the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts with the acclaimed Calder Quartet to present a program of contemporary and timeless string quartets and piano quintets, including the U.S. premiere of leading French composer Eric Tanguy's Piano Quintet, on Saturday, April 9, 2022, 7:30 pm, in the Bram Goldsmith Theater.

Tanguy's work is juxtaposed with Schumann's Piano Quintet in E-flat major, Op. 44, the composer's only piano quintet, composed in 1842 in just five days, which revolutionized the instrumentation for piano and strings and established the piano quintet as a quintessentially Romantic genre. The evening begins with a pair of string quartets spanning more than 200 years: String Quartet Op. 33, No. 4, composed in 1782 by the father of the string quartet, Joseph Haydn, and Jamaican-born composer Eleanor Alberga's String Quartet No. 2, composed in 1994. Bartal has been hailed by the magazine Diapason for "the depth of her touch...the richness of the textures." Los Angeles Times proclaims the Calder Quartet "one of America's great string quartets." A Concert Prelude moderated by Classical KUSC's Brian Lauritzen will be held at 6:30 pm.

Bartal, who is French-Hungarian, was born in Timişoara, Romania and began her musical education in her hometown. She has since appeared at such prestigious venues such as the Paris Philharmonie, the Auditorium of Radio France, the Auditorium of the Musée du Louvre, Salle Pleyel and the Auditorium of the Musée d'Orsay in Paris, the Beethoven-Haus in Bonn, Merkin Hall in New York, the Palazzetto Bru Zane in Venice, as well as Milton Court in London. Her recent performance highlights include concerts at the the Festival Berlioz, the Festival de Besançon, Festival "Classique au Vert" in Paris, the Vichy Opera House, the Kaposvar Chamber Music Festival in Hungary, Schloss Elmau in Germany and the Turku Music Festival in Finland. Bartal's wide ranging repertoire spans solo works, concertos and chamber works. Also an enthusiastic advocate of contemporary music, she has worked with some of the most significant composers of our day, such as Thomas Adès and Eric Tanguy, whose work "Rhapsodie" for viola and piano she premiered with Lise Berthaud at the Festival de Pâques Aix-en-Provence, a performance praised for its "jubilatory virtuosity" (Le Figaro). She has collaborated with Oscar-winning film composer Gabriel Yared as well.

The Calder Quartet, applauded as "superb" and "imaginative, skillful creators" (The New York Times), explores a broad spectrum of repertoire, always striving to fulfill the composer's vision in their performances. The group's distinctive artistry is exemplified by a musical curiosity brought to everything they perform. Winners of the prestigious 2014 Avery Fisher Career Grant, the quartet is widely known for the discovery, commissioning, recording and mentoring of some of today's best emerging composers. Noted for its performances of the complete Beethoven and Bartok quartets, the Calder Quartet is also dedicated to commissioning new works, giving rise to premieres of dozens of string quartets by established and up-and-coming composers, including Peter Eötvös, Andrew Norman, Christopher Rouse, Ted Hearne and Christopher Cerrone. The quartet, inspired by innovative American artist Alexander Calder, has an exclusive, multi-disc record deal with Pentatone records and has collaborated with acts such as Andrew WK, Lord Huron, Vampire Weekend, and The National. The Calder Quartet's members are Benjamin Jacobson and Tereza Stanislav, violin; Jonathan Moerschel, viola; and Eric Byers, cello.

Other performances at The Wallis in April include Timo Andres, Piano Recital (April 7), Sunday Funday: Spring Groove and Dance Sunday (April 10); and Complexions Contemporary Ballet (April 14-16). The World Premiere production of The Excavation of Mary Anning, originally slated to open in February, has moved to The Wallis' 2022/2023 Season.

The Wallis is closely monitoring the ever-changing local health and safety environment carefully and addressing known health factors at the moment. Should plans change and any performance be required to be postponed or cancelled or if venue capacity limitations are instituted, ticket holders will be notified immediately with options for their purchased tickets per The Wallis' ticketing policies.

The health and safety of patrons, our staff, and artists inside and outside our venue are a top priority for The Wallis, which is requiring all patrons to provide, upon entry, proof of full vaccination, including proof of a booster shot, or a negative PCR test result within 48 hours or a verifiable Antigen test within 24 hours from your performance date, along with a government issued photo ID. Facial masks, covering both the mouth and nose, are still required at all times while within the venue. The Wallis' health and safety protocols are also subject to change at the venue's sole discretion or in accordance with LA County and City of Beverly Hills regulations. Our current Health & Safety Protocols and updates may also be accessed at TheWallis.org/Safety.

Tickets, $29-$79, are on sale now. The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts is located at 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd, Beverly Hills. To purchase tickets and for more information, please call 310-746-4000 or visit https://thewallis.org/quartet.

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