WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
We feature scores by three of our favorite composers for this enticing episode of our UChicago residency. Shulamit Ran’s virtuosic String Quartet No. 2, “Vistas,” Kotoka Suzuki’s Minyo, and the concert version of Anna Thorvaldsdottir’s Enigma provide the sonic escapades for this excursion into landscapes both real and imagined.
Join us at 6:45pm for a pre-concert talk with University of Chicago Assistant Professor of Music Jennifer Iverson
We’re more than a little spellbound that we’ve been an ensemble-in-residence at the august University of Chicago’s Department of Music since our earliest years as a quartet…so it is with great relish that we bring scores by three of our favorite composers to Hyde Park for this event. Shulamit Ran’s virtuosic String Quartet No. 2, “Vistas,” Kotoka Suzuki’s Minyo, and the concert version of Anna Thorvaldsdottir’s Enigma provide the sonic escapades for this celebration of living composers without beards or glasses.
Shulamit’s String Quartet No. 2 is a vibrant romp through delicious chromaticism and stirring melodies, a piece as thrilling to listen to as to perform. Not only an early ally for Spektral, Shulamit is a beloved Chicago new-music celebrity, and we are eager to be collaborating with this singular artist once again. We gave the Chicago premiere of Kotoka Suzuki’s Minyo this July at Rush Hour Concerts and have fallen in love with this pithy little number. Inspired by the timbres of traditional Japanese instruments and presenting miniature worlds in each movement, Minyo is a high-energy and wide-ranging listening experience. Finally, we are amped to bring fans the Chicago premiere of the concert version of our new commission from Anna Thorvaldsdottir: Enigma. Swirling between dark and light, and the penumbra in between, Enigma offers listeners a tour of one’s interior life – and the landscapes that surround us.
This concert is FREE and open to the public
Please join us for a lively pre-concert talk with University of Chicago Assistant Professor of Music, Jennifer Iverson at 6:45pm
PROGRAM
O Magnum Mysterium (1572) – Tomas Luis de Victoria
Minyo (1997) – Kotoka Suzuki
Enigma (2019) – Anna Thorvaldsdottir
String Quartet No. 2 (1988-89) – Shulamit Ran
Persons who need assistance should call 773.702.8484 in advance.
Spektral Quartet’s 2019-20 concert season is supported by the generosity of the following foundations. We are so grateful for this funding and the support of the many individuals who give to our organization. If you are interested in supporting our work, please visit spektralquartet.com/donate to learn more.
