Ysäye Quartet April 3, 2009

Program:
Fauré: Quartet in E Minor, Op. 121; Bartok: Quartet No. 6; Franck: String Quartet in D Major

“It is rare to get the visceral energy of young players coupled with over 15 years of international experience in music making of the highest order.” (Washington Post)

After an outstanding PCMS debut in 2007, the Paris-based Ysaÿe Quartet returns with a beautifully varied program featuring a rare opportunity to hear the Franck D Major String Quartet alongside masterpieces by Bartok and Faure. All three works were written at the end of each composer’s life featuring their highly individualized styles: Franck with his grand symphonic textures; Fauré with his smoothness and flexibility, complex harmony, and the theme of peace in the face of death; and Bartok delving into despair and irony as World War II looms.
The Ysaÿe Quartet was formed in 1984 while the members were still students at the Paris Conservatoire. The Quartet is named after the violinist, quartet player and composer Eugene Ysaÿe http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugene_Ysaye who was a powerful influence on the musical world of his day. In 1988, the Quartet gained international recognition by being the first French quartet to win the Grand Prix at the Evian International Competition and today the Quartet’s busy international schedule includes regular appearances in the US, Asia, and throughout Europe. For more information and for complete biographies on the members of the Ysaÿe Quartet, please visit www.ysayerecords.com.

For additional information on the composers being performed on this program visit:
Gabriel Faure: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabriel_Faure
Bela Bartok: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bela_Bartok
Cesar Franck: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cesar_Franck
Buy Tickets!
www.pcmsconcerts.org or 215.569.8080
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Get to know the Ysaÿe Quartet!

Watch: A short clip on Youtube of the Ysaÿe Quartet playing late Beethoven. The clip is from Music in Country Churches which is an organization set up as a charitable trust with the active support of The Prince of Wales. Country Channel TV joins Ysaÿe Quartet and pianist Piotr Anderszewski playing at The Church of St Mary the Virgin, Chipping Norton.

Listen and Connect: Listen to past performances and view performance videos at Last.fm, the Social Music Revolution, http://www.last.fm/music/Ysaye+String+Quartet