Internationally acclaimed Borromeo String Quartet comes to the Quick Center for the Arts

Internationally acclaimed Borromeo String Quartet comes to the Quick Center for the Arts

"The Borromeo String Quartet is simply the best there is on this planet; every appearance they make is an Event ... the only real treasure, it's been said, is spiritual treasure, and this was it." Richard Buell, Boston Globe

The Borromeo String Quartet (BSQ) appears with clarinetist Todd Palmer at Fairfield University's Quick Center for the Arts on Saturday, April 12 at 8 p.m. The concert, co-sponsored in part by the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism, features the chamber music of the Argentinean composer Osvaldo Golijov. Prior to the concert, Howard Kissel, the New York Daily News chief drama critic and cultural tourist, will engage the audience in an "Art to Heart" discussion from 7-7:40 p.m.

The acclaimed Borromeo String Quartet's "visionary" and "ravishingly realized" interpretations have established them as one of the most important string quartets of our time.  They regularly perform in the world's most illustrious concert halls in Berlin, Paris, Tokyo, New York, London, Washington, D.C. and their home of Boston.

The ensemble - violinist Nicholas Kitchen of Canada, violist Mai Motobuchi of Japan, violinist Kristopher Tong of the United States and cellist Yeesun Kim of Korea - not only share the highest level of technical achievement, they share a bravura that skates "just to the edge of recklessness without going over," as David Weininger of the Boston Globe wrote in a review. With consistent frequency, their playing expresses an intimacy that provides the audience with an experience William Thomas Walker of Classical Voice North Carolina described as being, "like eavesdropping on an intimate conversation with four friends."

The evening's program includes Béla Bartók's "String Quartet No. 3 (1927)" and the balance of the selections spotlight the work of composer Golijov; they include "Yiddishbbuk for String Quartet (1992)," "The Dreams and Prayers of Isaac the Blind for Klezmer Clarinet and String Quartet (1998)" and "Tenebrae for Soprano, Clarinet and String Quartet (2002)."

Palmer joins the ensemble for "Dreams and Prayers" and also plays on "Tenebrae" with soprano Jessica Rivera.

Palmer's virtuosity, art of phrasing and ebullient stage presence have brought him a stellar reputation as a solo and chamber music clarinetist. In 2001 Palmer was awarded a $20,000 grant by The National Foundation for Jewish Culture for the recording of chamber music by Osvaldo Golijov with the St. Lawrence Quarter for EMI Classics. The CD entitled "Yiddishbbuk" was one of the top-selling recordings of 2002 and received two Grammy Award nominations.

Tickets are $40, $35, $30 and are available online at www.quickcenter.com or by calling (203) 254-4010. The toll free number is 1-877-ARTS-396. For further information, please visit the website at www.quickcenter.com.

Posted On: 03-26-2008 10:03 AM

Volume: 40 Number: 219