November 7, 2010, 4 pm
Program
Mozart – Quartet in D “Hoffmeister” KV499
Janáček – Quartet No. 2 “Intimate Letters”
— Intermission —
Dvořák – Quartet in E-flat Major, Op. 51
The Johannes Quartet consists of four outstanding musicians who take time away from their busy careers to pursue their love of the string quartet literature. This quartet brings together the principal cellist of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the principal violist of the Philadelphia Orchestra, the first American to win the Paganini Violin Competition in 24 years, and a Concert Artist Guild International Competition winner. The Johannes has been praised by listeners and critics alike for its special combination of passion, warmth, elegance and poetry. Each member has spent numerous summers at the celebrated Marlboro Music Festival in Vermont, birthplace of many of the world’s renowned ensembles. New York appearances include their recent Carnegie Hall debut as well as frequent performances on the Schneider Series at the New School and the Peoples’ Symphony Concerts at Town Hall.
Since the Johannes made its acclaimed debut there in 1998, the Chamber Music Society of Philadelphia has played a major role in launching the Quartet, presenting them regularly each season, including in a two-concert series of the complete Beethoven opus 18 quartets. Their debut was described by the Philadelphia Inquirer as having “accurate intonation, vigorous interaction and careful regard for the details in the score…the passion and attack that characterize the best of quartet playing.”
The 2007-08 and 2008-09 seasons included the group’s collaboration with the legendary Guarneri String Quartet in a program featuring Octet: Double Quartet, written specifically for the two ensembles by award-winning composer William Bolcom, and commissioned by the Music Accord consortium of presenters. The two groups also joined together for performances of Mendelssohn’s glorious Octet. In addition to these works, the Johannes also premiered a new string quartet, Homunculus, written for them by Esa-Pekka Salonen. For the performance of the groundbreaking Bolcom and Salonen works, they received audience acclaim at the Krannert Center (Urbana, IL), University Musical Society (Ann Arbor, MI), Penn State University, and Boston’s Celebrity Series, the Orange County Performing Arts Society, San Francisco Performances, Phoenix Chamber Music Society, UCLA Live, Kansas City Friends of Chamber Music, Hayes University (KS), and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center in New York City.
The Johannes Quartet has held residencies at Middlebury College, the Islip Arts Council and the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society. They started off their 2009-10 season with a triumphant return to the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, where they appear bi-annually in multiple concerts. Spring 2010 tours took the Johannes to Alabama, California, Minnesota, New York and Pennsylvania. Forthcoming collaborations include plans for tours and a new quintet with renowned clarinetist Richard Stoltzman.The Johannes has also been heard around the country through broadcasts on NPR’s Performance Today and St. Paul Sunday programs.
The November 7th concert takes place at 4:00 p.m. at the Wilton Congregational Church, just north of Wilton center on Route 33. Tickets may be obtained at the door for $25 dollars ($10 for students). For information on subscriptions to the entire four concert series, go to the ticket order page. Season tickets start at $90 ($75 for seniors); and patrons and benefactors of the series have the option of bringing two or four children under 16 (respectively) to the concerts free of cost. For more information on this concert or on the series, or to order a series brochure to be sent to you, call (203) 762-3401 or (203) 762-5019. Candlelight Concerts benefits the Wilton Library, and happily accepts individual and corporate tax deductible contributions.