Ives Quartet – March 1, 2015

Joseph Haydn Two movements for String Quartet in D minor, Op. 103George Rochberg String Quartet No. 6, selectionsFranz Schubert String Quartet No. 15 in G major, D. 887 His health failing, Haydn formally announced his compositional farewell with these two movements intended for a full-length quartet. While George Rochbergs 6th quartet is not his last, the two movements excerpted here may be his final reflections on Pachelbels Canon and Schuberts final quartet, which closes this program. The Ives Quartet has established a reputation for passion, precision, and provocative programming, winning accolades for playing that shows both super-refinement and visceral, rock-and-roll intensity. Inspired by the passionate, artistic commitment and unique temperament of American composer Charles Ives (1874–1954), the quartet has attracted critical enthusiasm for its “practice of reveling in the unfamiliar,” championing an eclectic repertoire that combines established masterworks with under-appreciated gems, neglected scores of early-twentieth-century America, and specially commissioned new pieces.