The Ying Quartet launches the 2010-2011 season of the Eastman Ranlet Series on Sunday, Oct. 17, with a performance marking Samuel Barber’s centenary year and their first Kilbourn Hall appearance with new first violinist Ayano Ninomiya.
The quartet will perform Barber’s String Quartet, Op. 11. The work is famous for its second movement, the Adagio for Strings. Described by the New York Times as “conveying the effect of a sigh, or courage in the face of tragedy, or hope, or abiding love,” Barber’s Adagio has become one of the most popular classical pieces today. It has been used in multiple film scores, and more recently has been remixed by DJs and rappers. The Ying Quartet performed the original unpublished version of the string quartet at the Morgan Library in New York City last March.
The Oct. 17 concert will also include Russian Romantic composer Anton Arensky’s Quartet No. 1 in G Major, Op.11 and Mendelssohn’s Quartet in F Minor, op. 80.
Now in its second decade as a quartet, the Grammy-winning Ying Quartet is acclaimed for their imaginative view of chamber music in today’s world. The group’s wide-ranging musical interests and brilliantly communicative performances have led the group to various performances in the United States and abroad.
This season marks a new chapter for the Ying Quartet with their new first violinist, Ayano Ninomiya. She is a top prizewinner in the 2003 Naumburg Competition and the 2006 Tibor Varga Competition, and has built a professional career of recital, concerto, music festival, and chamber music appearances in the United States and Europe. Ninomiya has been praised for her impressive technique, pure tone, and intensity of expressions.
Committed to expanding the rich string quartet repertoire, the Ying Quartet collaborates with established and emerging composers in their commissioning project, LifeMusic, to create music that reflects contemporary American life. This year’s Eastman-Ranlet Series will include the Ying Quartet’s annual LifeMusic concert on Feb. 27, 2011, as well as the Kopelman Quartet on Nov. 14, 2010, and the Chiara String Quartet on April 3, 2011.
Tickets for the Ying Quartet’s performance are $10 to $20 (reduced tickets with UR ID) and can be purchased at the Rochester Philharmonic Box Office, 108 East Ave.; by phone (585) 454-2100; or online at esm.rochester.edu/concerts.
# # #
Calendar Listing:
Sunday, Oct. 17
Eastman-Ranlet Series: The Ying Quartet
3 p.m.
Kilbourn Hall, 26 Gibbs Street
Tickets: $10 to $20 (discount with UR ID); can be purchased at the Rochester Philharmonic Box Office, 108 East Ave.; by phone (585) 454-2100; or online at esm.rochester.edu/concerts