THE IVES STRING QUARTET Presents HYO-SHIN NA’S “TEN THOUSAND UGLY INKBLOTS”
A WORLD PREMIERE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
December 1, 2006
Please contact: Pam Lampkin
Administrative/Development Director
(650) 224-7849
pam.lampkin@ivescollective.org
Palo Alto, CA – The Ives String Quartet, renowned for captivating audiences from New York to Taiwan, has commissioned the two-time recipient of the Korean National Composers Prize, Hyo-shin Na, to create her first full-length string quartet. The 25- to 30-minute work,“Ten Thousand Ugly Ink Blots,” featured in the upcoming Ives String Quartet’s Winter Concert Series program, takes its inspiration from the work of Shih-tao, a 17th-century Chinese painter. Na, a Korean native, now a permanent US resident, writes for both Western and traditional Asian instrumentation.
“Shih-tao’s works will be the primary source of basic elements of my piece: the four tones of the Chinese language as present in the characters of his “Remarks on Painting” translated to melody; the physical movements and gestural balances of his calligraphy and paintings as sources for rhythms and timbres; and the more general influence of his philosophy and aesthetics.”
– Hyo-Shin Na
This commission, generously underwritten by a grant from the Argosy Foundation, provides a new facet to the more western-influenced programming the Quartet usually performs. Committed to presenting the full scope of the string quartet literature, the Ives String Quartet continues to earn critical and popular acclaim for the depth and diversity of its programming, with repertoire ranging from recognized classics and neglected master-pieces of the past to new commissions and distinctive collaborations with guest artists.
It is therefore no surprise that this exciting new piece will share the upcoming Ives String Quartet Winter Concert Series program with theMozart Quartet in B Major, K.458,”Hunt” and the BeethovenQuartet in F major, Op.135.
The Mozart Quartet K.458 is one of the six “Haydn quartets” composed over the years 1782-1785, and dedicated to Haydn, the noted father of the modern String Quartet. The K458 quartet of 1784, called “the Hunt” because of its suggestion of a hunting-horn in its main theme, is textually rich and evidences Mozart’s playfulness throughout.
The Beethoven Quartet in F major, op. 135 was begun in the summer of 1826 and was finished that September. This is the last complete work that Beethoven ever wrote.
The Ives String Quartet combines the talent and experience of the international, solo, orchestral, chamber, and recording careers of its artist members – Bettina Mussumeli, violin; Susan Freier, violin; Jodi Levitz, viola; and Stephen Harrison, cello. Each player is an acclaimed performer on his/her instrument, earning distinction with other renowned chamber music ensembles, including the Chester and Stanford Quartets, I Solisti Veneti, the Chicago String Trio, and the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players. This variety and breadth in each artist’s background contributes to the ensemble’s unique sound.
Invigorated by their recent November 2006, residency at Trinity College and standing ovation performances in the Chicago area, the Ives String Quartet, in addition to preparing this exciting Winter Concert Series, is currently exploring Quincy Porter’s Third String Quartet, which, along with Quartets 1, 2, and 4, is scheduled for release on the Naxos Classical Music label in 2007.
Winter Concert Series Information
Friday, January 26, 2007, 8pm
St. Mark’s Episcopal Church,
600 Colorado Avenue, Palo Alto
Saturday, January 27, 2007, 8pm
Le Petit Trianon Theatre,
72 North 5th Street, San Jose
Sunday, January 28, 2007, 2pm
Florence Gould Theatre
Palace of Legion of Honor
Lincoln Park, San Francisco
TICKETS: $25 (general), $20 (seniors) $15 (students) at the door,
Online information (http:www//ivescollective.org), or call 328-0990
COLOR & B/W JPG ART AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST
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