Aviv String Quartet in concert March 19, 2009

This young Israeli ensemble met as students and after securing their reputation in their homeland, moved to Cologne and became proteges of the famed Alban Berg Quartet. San Francisco Performances presents the Aviv String Quartet in their San Francisco debut.

The program for the March 19 concert is Beethoven's "String Quartet in F minor, Op. 95" ("Serioso"); Schubert's "String Quartet in D minor, D. 810 ("Death and the Maiden"); and the US Premiere of Lera Auerbach's "Cetera Desunt: String Quartet No. 3."

The Aviv Quartet -- violinists Sergey Ostrovsky and Evgenia Epshtein, violist Shuli Waterman and cellist Rachel Mercer -- has given critically acclaimed concerts around the globe and received numerous prizes. Recently, they recorded three Erwin Schuloff quartets on the Naxos label.

According to the ensemble's material, the name Aviv means "spring" in Hebrew, signifying new beginnings and a fresh outlook, the shedding of conventions to reveal true nature, sharper definition and heightened awareness.

Born in Chelyabinsk, a city in the Urals bordering Siberia, Lera Auerbach is one of the most widely performed composers of a new generation. She became one of the last artists to defect from the Soviet Union during a concert tour in 1991, while still in her teens. She went on to earn her bachelor's and master's degrees from the Julliard School.

$42/$32.

Official Website: http://www.performances.org