Tokyo Quartet December 14, 2008

Program:
Haydn: Quartet in G Major, Op. 76, No. 1; Bartok: Quartet No. 5; Mendelssohn: Quartet in D Major, Op. 44, No. 1

"A passionate, richly toned discussion among intelligent, charismatic equals - this was exemplary chamber music." (The New York Times)

The Tokyo Quartet returns to PCMS on Sunday, December 14 for the first of two appearances, featuring a program of works by Haydn, Bartok, and Mendelssohn. "It is easy to see why the Tokyo Quartet has built such an excellent reputation," states the Chicago Maroon. "They play with startling vivacity and subtle reserve... their fervor for the music is contagious; the audience can't help but be swept away with them."

Formed in 1969 at the Juilliard School, the Grammy-nominated Tokyo String Quartet traces its roots to the Toho School of Music in Tokyo, where the founding members were profoundly influenced by Professor Hideo Saito. Today the quartet comprises violist Kazuhide Isomura, a founding member; second violinist Kikuei Ikeda, who joined in 1974; cellist Clive Greensmith, a 1999 arrival; and first violinist Martin Beaver, with the group since the fall of 2002. The quartet performs on a group of renowned Stradivarius instruments known as "The Paganini Quartet."

For more information, please visit www.tokyoquartet.com

For more information on the composers, please visit:
Haydn:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Haydn
Bartok:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%A9la_Bart%C3%B3k
Mendelssohn:http://www.felixmendelssohn.com/Default.htm

Buy Tickets!
www.pcmsconcerts.org or 215.569.8080
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Get to know the Tokyo Quartet!

Watch: Check out pictures of the Tokyo Quartet while listening to the fourth movement of Beethoven's string quartet op. 59, No. 3. Martin Beaver and Kikuei Ikeda play violin, Kazuhide Isomura on viola, and Clive Greensmith, the cello:


Listen & Connect: Andante Magazine interviews members of the Tokyo Quartet, discussing the ensemble's approach to performance and to their success at transcending national, cultural, and linguistic boundaries. Says violist Isomura, "the love of the music has always come first for us. We never thought of trying to play more beautifully than someone else, we only wanted to do justice to the music. The main reason we ever wanted to play quartets was that we were crazy about that great literature."
http://www.andante.com/article/article.cfm?id=12738