Music in NYC: Bartok, Shostakovich by Ariel Quartet at Aspect Chamber Music Series

Haunted Minds program of music by Bartok and Shostakovich on Wednesday, November 13, 2019 at 7:30 pm at the Italian Academy of Columbia University; performed by the Ariel Quartet with the illuminated talk by musicologist Nicholas Chong

Aspect Chamber Music Series continues its season with Haunted Minds program. Music by Shostakovich and Bartok will be performed by Ariel Quartet with the illuminated talk by musicologist Nicholas Chong. Chong will dive deep into the circumstances and traumatic experiences that made lasting impressions on the composers. While quite different at their core, those experiences influenced not only composers’ day to day life but also led to an inward search for inspiration.

Shostakovich’s String Quartet No. 8 included in the program is interpreted as a requiem written Shostakovich to himself. In the atmosphere of distrust and political scapegoating orchestrated by Stalin’s regime, Shostakovich came under criticism for the complexity of his compositions and its incomprehensibility by the laypeople of Soviet Union. Rightfully fearing for his life and liberty, Shostakovich wrote String Quartet No. 8 as a musical response to personal crises. It is full of references to his prior works and his musical monogram. The music by both composers reveals a lot about how the confrontation with darkness can ultimately lead back to the light.

Recipient of numerous international awards, the Ariel Quartet is well known to audiences around the globe for the depth of musical interpretation and its passionate performances. The concert on November 14, 2019 will surely be no exception offering a delightful evening for music lovers.

 

Program Information

Bartók – String Quartet No. 1
Shostakovich – String Quartet No. 8                   

 

 

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