Smithsonian Chamber Music Society (SCMS) audiences are privy to the unparalleled experience of being able to hear two magnificent quartets of instruments—one made by Antonio Stradivari, the other by his teacher Nicolo Amati—in this popular three-concert series.
The Axelrod Quartet continues its Haydn survey, presenting the three quartets of Op. 71, the complements of the Op. 74 set heard last year. The December concert in the Warner Bros. Theater includes Samuel Barber’s 1936 Quartet, which has as its centerpiece the famous Adagio. In January, the Quartet returns to the Renwick Gallery’s Grand Salon, where the Æolus Quartet, graduate fellowship quartet at the University of Maryland’s School of Music, will join the Axelrod members for a concert that will unite all eight Stradivarius and Amati instruments.
One hour prior to each program, Kenneth Slowik, SCMS artistic director and recipient of the 2011 Smithsonian Secretary’s Distinguished Research Lecture Award, continues his popular pre-concert talks, shedding light on the glorious music and the life and times of the featured composers.
QUICK TIX CODE: BPN1
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SEASON CALENDAR
Sun., Dec. 16
Haydn: Quartet in B-flat Major, Op. 71, No. 1
Barber: String Quartet, Op. 11
Mendelssohn: Quartet in E-flat Major, Op. 12
Warner Bros. Theater, American History Museum
Sun., Jan. 13
Haydn: Quartet in D Major, Op. 71, No. 2
Mendelssohn: Quartet in A Minor, Op. 13, (Ist es wahr?)
Mendelssohn: Octet in E-flat Major, Op. 20
with the Æolus Quartet
Nicholas Tavani and Rachel Shapiro, violins; Gregory Luce, viola; Alan Richardson, violoncello
Grand Salon, Renwick Gallery
Sun., April 28
Haydn: Quartet in E-flat Major, Op. 71, No. 3
Mozart: Quartet in G Major, K 387
Beethoven: Quartet in C Major, Op. 59, No. 3
Warner Bros. Theater, American History Museum
Sunday Series (3 concerts)
Programs, locations, and artists subject to change.
