Danish String Quartet Returns To Orange County Performing Works Of Haydn, Schubert, And Shostakovich

The Philharmonic Society of Orange County and Irvine Barclay Theatre present the return of the fan-favorite Danish String Quartet, for a performance on Thursday, April 11, 2024. The program will feature music from Schubert's Gretchen am Spinnrade and Rosamunde Quartet, Haydn's String Quartet in G minor, and Shostakovich's String Quartet No. 7 at Irvine Barclay Theatre. This concert is part of the Distinctive Experiences co-presented with the Irvine Barclay Theatre and sponsored by Sam B. and Lyndie Ersan.

An encore performance with a full Nordic program will be performed at Westside Museum on Friday, April 12, 2024. In this encore engagement, the versatile members of the Danish String Quartet bring the musical flavors of their homeland, weaving Nordic folklore into the sound world of classical music. The string quartet sound further enhances the depth of feelings invoked by the sublime melodies and harmonies in sophisticated arrangements of traditional Faroese ballads, waltzes, and Nordic folk tunes. This performance is part of the Eclectic Orange Series sponsored by the Jelinek Family Trust and will include pre-show activities.

Formed when they were teens, the GRAMMY-nominated Danish String Quartet have been praised for their ability to make chamber music-traditionally, classical music's stuffiest genre-seem fun. Their performances exude a palpable joy in music-making that has made them one of today's most highly acclaimed and in-demand classical quartets, performing sold-out concert halls around the world.

The group not only performs landmarks of repertoire such as Beethoven's Op. 131, but also frequently enriches programs with their own arrangements of folk tunes from their native Scandinavia. Their inventive and intriguing programming and repertoire choices have produced critically acclaimed original projects and commissions. The quartet's inaugural folk album, Wood Works (2014), received great acclaim, and in 2017, the quartet's second folk music album, Last Leaf, was one of the top classical albums of the year, as chosen by NPR, Spotify, and The New York Times. The Quartet was also named Musical America's 2020 Ensemble of the Year and received the Carl Nielsen Prize, Denmark's highest cultural honor. Their most recent recording project was PRISM, a series of five discs on ECM New Series that explores the symbiotic musical and contextual relationships between Bach fugues, Beethoven string quartets, and works by Shostakovich, Schnittke, Bartók, Mendelssohn, and Webern. The fourth disc in the series, PRISM IV (2022), was an "Editor's Choice" in Limelight magazine. In 2023, the Quartet brought their highly acclaimed PRISM project to its conclusion with the release of PRISM V on ECM.

Tickets

The first concert will take place at Irvine Barclay Theatre located at 4242 Campus Dr, Irvine, CA 92612. Ticket prices for this event start at $38 and are available at the Philharmonic Society box office at (949) 553-2422, online at www.philharmonicsociety.org, at the Irvine Barclay Theatre box office at (949) 854-4646, and online at www.TheBarclay.org.

The Friday Encore performance at Westside Museum is located at 729 Farad Street, Costa Mesa, CA 92627. Ticket prices for this event are $35 and are available at the Philharmonic Society box office at (949) 553-2422, or online at www.philharmonicsociety.org.

ABOUT THE PHILHARMONIC SOCIETY:

Founded in 1954 as Orange County's first music organization, the Philharmonic Society of Orange County presents national and international performances of the highest quality and provides dynamic and innovative music education programs for individuals of all ages to enhance the lives of Orange County audiences through music.

Since its inception, the Philharmonic Society has evolved and grown with the county's changing landscape, presenting artists and orchestras who set the standard for artistic achievement from Itzhak Perlman, Gustavo Dudamel, Yo-Yo Ma, and Renée Fleming to the Berlin Philharmonic, Vienna Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and many others. In addition, the Philharmonic Society celebrates multi-disciplinary performances under its Eclectic Orange brand and embraces music from a wide range of countries with its World Music performances. Its celebrated family concerts introduce children to classical music with creative and inspiring performances, instilling music appreciation for future generations.

The Philharmonic Society's nationally recognized Youth Music Education Programs, offered free of charge, engage more than 100,000 students annually through curriculum-based music education programs that aim to inspire, expand imaginations, and encourage learning at all levels. These programs are made possible by the Committees of the Philharmonic Society comprised of 500 volunteer members who provide more than 90,000 hours of in-kind service each year. As a key youth program, the exceptional Orange County Youth Symphony and String Ensemble provide top-tier training to the area's most talented young musicians through multi-level ensemble instruction, leadership training, touring opportunities, challenging professional repertoire, and performances in world-class venues. The Philharmonic Society also promotes life-long learning by connecting with colleges and universities to conduct masterclasses and workshops and providing pre-concert lectures to introduce audiences to program selections.

ABOUT IRVINE BARCLAY THEATRE:

Irvine Barclay Theatre is a 750-seat "jewel box" theater renowned for its intimate atmosphere and superb acoustics. Since opening its doors in 1990, Irvine Barclay Theatre has developed into one of California's most imaginative performing arts showcases, welcoming more than 2.6 million patrons over the last 33 years to an impressive array of varied performances by internationally recognized artists.

A unique collaborative venture between the City of Irvine, the University of California, Irvine, and private donors, Irvine Barclay Theatre is operated as an independent 501(c) (3) non-profit organization.

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