TAKACS STRING QUARTET
Thursday, October 4, 2012 at 8:00 p.m.
Pre-concert talk at 7:00 p.m. by Professor Scott Burnham, free to ticket holders
Richardson Auditorium in Alexander Hall
Program
SCHUBERT String Quartet No. 13 in A Minor, D. 804 (“Rosamunde”)
BRITTEN String Quartet No. 2 in C Major
DVOŘÁK String Quartet No. 12 in F Major, Op. 96 (“American”)
About the Takacs Quartet
The Takács has entered the pantheon of the world’s great string quartets, as evidenced by their hugely engaging performances and unique blend of drama, warmth and humor, as well as their recent appointment as Associate Artists of London’s prestigious Wigmore Hall. Takács “established itself as one of the world’s eminent string ensembles soon after its founding in 1975,” according to The New York Times, which termed their recent Carnegie Hall performance “utterly gripping.” Their program begins with one of Schubert’s last quartets and, marking the centenary of his birth, one by Britten, who in 1945 called it “the greatest advance that I have yet made.” The evening concludes with Dvořák’s “American” Quartet, which, during a visit to the Czech community in Spillville, Iowa, spilled out of the composer in a matter of days.