The performances were everything we have come to expect from this superb ensemble: technically resourceful, musically insightful, cohesive, full of character and always interesting.
—The New York Times
The Emerson String Quartet returns for its 34th season at the Smithsonian when it opens a five-concert series on Sunday, Nov. 3 at Baird Auditorium. British cellist Paul Watkins has joined violinists Eugene Drucker and Philip Setzer and violist Lawrence Dutton to become the ensemble’s first new member in more than three decades.
Don’t miss the opportunity to be among the first audiences to hear the four remarkable musicians who are poised to begin another chapter of the Emerson String Quartet’s distinguished history.
No Series Price Increases for Members!
Get the best of the Emerson String Quartet at the best prices! Subscribers purchase four concerts and get one concert for FREE.
A great deal...and a great new benefit!
Subscribers who are Smithsonian Associates donors at the Resident Patron level ($600) or above—and those that upgrade to this level—get another perk this season—reserved seating at all performances. Upgrade now>>
SUBSCRIPTION CODE: BPN2
QUARTET BIO
The Emerson String Quartet’s list of achievements includes everything from nine Grammy Awards to the coveted Avery Fisher Prize to their 2011 induction into the Classical Music Hall of Fame. In a January 2013 review of the quartet’s Carnegie Hall appearance, the New York Times noted that “their impeccable blend and rich, muscular sound have long impressed in a range of repertory” and singled out their performance of a Brahms work for its “beautifully shaped, polished reading, distinguished by its expressive phrasing and the glowing tone of individual performers.” Time has declared them “American’s greatest quartet.”
Everywhere they play, they exhibit the same benchmark intensity, integrity, energy, and commitment that they have demonstrated since forming the Emerson String Quartet in 1976. To learn more about this quartet, click here.
SEASON CALENDAR
Sunday, November 3, 2013 at 6 p.m.
Haydn: String Quartet No. 26 in G Minor, Op. 20, No. 3
Britten: String Quartet No. 2
Beethoven: String Quartet No. 7 in F Major (“Rasumovsky 1”), Op. 59, No. 1
Sunday, December 8, 2013 at 6 p.m.
Mozart: String Quartet in E-Flat Major, K. 428
Bartok: String Quartet No. 2 in A Minor, Sz. 67, BB 75 (Op. 17)
Beethoven: String Quartet No. 8 in E Minor (“Rasumovsky 2”), Op. 59, No. 2
Sunday, January 12, 2014 at 6 p.m.
Mendelssohn: String Quartet No. 6 in F Minor, Op. 80
Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 13 in B-Flat Minor, Op. 138
Beethoven: String Quartet No. 9 in C Major (“Rasumovsky 3”), Op. 59, No. 3
Saturday, February 1, 2014 at 6 p.m.
Solo recital with Paul Watkins, cello, and special guest, Huw Watkins, piano
Mendelsohn: Variations concertantes, for cello & piano in D major, Op. 17
Huw Watkins: Prelude for Solo Cello
Britten: Sonata for cello & piano in C major, Op. 65
Piers Hellawell: Atria (2013)
Brahms: Sonata for cello & piano No. 2 in F major, Op. 99
Sunday, April 27, 2014 at 6 p.m.
Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 15 in E-Flat Minor, Op. 144
Schubert: String Quartet No. 14 in D Minor (“Death and the Maiden”), D. 810
All programs subject to change.
