Brentano String Quartet & Jonathan Biss, Piano
Charles S. Robinson Memorial Concert
For thirteen years, the Brentano String Quartet was Princeton’s cherished quartet-in-residence, filling Richardson Auditorium with more wonderful performances than we can count, with a whirl of collaborators and repertoire. In 2014, they moved on to the same post at the Yale School of Music, replacing the Tokyo String Quartet after their 37-year tenure. The Daily Telegraph (London) has called their sound “hair-raising … An ensemble of exceptional insight and communicative gifts.” These gifts will be in full bloom in February, when the home team returns and is joined by another Princeton veteran, pianist Jonathan Biss. Biss is a New York City cultural linchpin with a long history as both a soloist and chamber musician. Their program includes the lush and rarely heard Elgar Piano Quintet, composed on vacation in summer of 1918 and “influenced by the quiet and peaceful surroundings.”