American String Quartet returns
‘MUSIC HAS CHARMS to sooth a savage Breast, To soften Rocks, or bend a knotted Oak,” wrote William Congreve and, though most frequently misquoted, there is a reason why the figurative phrase has firmly remained in our collective lexicon: Because it speaks truth.
Music is truly a universal language, used as a backdrop for every noteworthy moment of our lives and speaking to that for which we might not have the words. And as the Taos Chamber Music Group closes its 29th season, they hope you will join them at the Taos Community Auditorium for a special visit by the internationally acclaimed American String Quartet. It is your chance to discover, or revisit, the emotionally enriching works of the world’s most beloved composers. In partnership with Taos Center for the Arts, the ASQ will perform two different shows next week. The first is on Thursday (June 2) and features Beethoven’s String Quartets Opus 74 (“Harp”) and Opus 131. “It’s a belated 250th birthday tribute to the composer that we had originally scheduled with the Americans for 2020,” said Nancy Laupheimer, director of TCMG and its flutist. “We’re excited to finally be able to do this.”
“The second program is on Friday (June 3) and include works by Johannes Brahms, Dmitri Shostakovich, George Walker and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,” Laupheimer continued, noting she will be joining ASQ for the Mozart piece which is a flute quartet.
Each program will run approximately 70-75 minutes with no intermission.
“The Beethoven program starts with Opus 74, whose melodic use of pizzicato led to its popular nickname, ‘Harp.’ It is Haydn seen through Beethoven’s eyes: inspiration in the first movement; devotion in the exquisite slow Adagio; mischief in the scherzo; and, finally, homage in the last movement,” said Dan Avshalomov, the quartet’s violist. “Opus 131, the composer’s favorite, was the first one we learned; not that we had the wisdom or maturity to plumb its depths all those years ago,” he laughed. “But our instincts guided us to begin studying routes up that particular mountain early on, so that later ascents could be mounted without injury, so to speak. [It’s] a joy every time.”
After Laupheimer — “our dear friend and colleague” — joins ASQ onstage Friday, “George Walker’s ‘Lyric,’ an echo of Samuel Barber’s ubiquitous ‘Adagio,’ will be followed by Shostakovich’s tersest quartet, No. 7 in F# Minor. And finally, we will offer Brahms’ A Minor Quartet, Opus 51 No. 2. Brahms, a notorious self-critic, reportedly destroyed countless early quartets, so we’re lucky the A Minor survived the cut. It’s luscious,” Avshalomov recounted.
If you’ve yet to attend a live chamber music performance, both Avshalomov and Laupheimer hope you’ll make this one your introduction. “String quartets are the most intimate, the most vulnerable of classical music, which is its power,” Avshalomov said. “It’s a far more private exchange between the musicians and audience than with something larger, such as a symphony.”
Laupheimer agreed. “There’s a raw emotional reach that the audience can grasp onto. It’s quite magical, really; the musicians are feeling it along with the audience, goose bumps and all.”
And there’s no better introduction that could be imagined. The ASQ has spent decades honing the luxurious sound for which it is famous, celebrating its 48th anniversary this year. In its years of touring, they have performed in all 50 states and have appeared in the most important concert halls worldwide.
Formed when its original members were students at The Juilliard School, the ASQ took off professionally when the group won both the Coleman Competition and the Naumburg Award in the same year. Resident quartet at the Aspen Music Festival since 1974 and at the Manhattan School of Music in New York since 1984, the ASQ has also served over the years as resident quartet at the Taos School of Music, the Peabody Conservatory and the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition.
In addition to Avshalomov, the ASQ also includes Peter Winograd (violin), Laurie Carney (violin), and Wolfram Koessel (cello).
“Over the last two decades, the American String Quartet has joined with Taos Chamber Music every couple of years to bring our mountains to life with their music,” Laupheimer said. “It’s sort of mind-blowing that we have musicians of such a high level of national and international stature here.”
Said Avshalomov, “For all the reasons you can imagine, Taos is one of our favorite places to play. Chief amongst those is that we know most of the audience by name: some have been attending our concerts for decades, and that makes just walking onstage such a comfort.”
“This year we’re hoping to make many new friends, as well.”
Tickets for both performances are available through Taos Center for the Arts. If you are a member of TCA, tickets are available at a discount. Please visit tcataos.org/tickets, or call 575-758-2052.
For further information about the artists, visit taoschambermusic.org and americanstringquartet.com.