Quartets Old and New

Saturday October 17, 7:30 pm

Episcopal Church of St. Luke and St. Simon Cyrene
(Two Saints Church)
17 S. Fitzhugh St., Rochester, NY

Sunday October 18, 3:00 pm

St. Paul’s Lutheran Church
21 Clara Barton St., Dansville, NY

Cynthia Roberts, violin
Boel Gidholm, violin
James Marshall, viola
Christopher Haritatos, cello

String Quartet in E Minor Erik Aren Schroeder
String Quartet in G Minor, VB 183 Joseph Martin Kraus
String Quartet in D Major, Op. 50, No. 6, “The Frog” Joseph Haydn

Admission free! (Suggested donation $25)

Our opening concert celebrates the string quartet in the 18th century, the era in which it became the preeminent genre of chamber music, a status which it has now enjoyed for 250 years. We will of course include a quartet of Joseph Haydn, who published string quartets during the entirety of his long career, ranging from his Op. 1 in 1755 to Op. 103 in 1803. Widely credited as “the father of the string quartet,” Haydn was not the first to write them, but definitely the most influential and prolific composer of the genre during the late 18th century.

The German composer Joseph Martin Kraus was a part of Stockholm’s flourishing arts scene during the reign of the Swedish king Gustaf III. His string quartets are clearly influenced by Haydn, but also show Kraus's own individuality and wit. Kraus died young and did not leave us much music, but its quality is unmistakable, and he was referred to by Haydn as "one of the greatest geniuses I have ever known."

Next to these gems from the past, we are excited to perform the world premiere of a string quartet by Erik Aren Schroeder, commissioned by Publick Musick. With a particular affinity for the music of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Schroeder has spent the last several years immersed in the world of Early Music as a student at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, and as a research assistant at the Stiftung Mozarteum. (Click here for his full bio). Just as 18th-century musicians were trained not just to perform and improvise, but also to compose in the style of their day, contemporary musicians such as Schroeder are also reviving this aspect of 18th-century performance practice with new music in historical styles. We are thrilled to be able to support this burgeoning trend through the commission of a newly composed string quartet in the Classical style.