Great Barrington — Close Encounters with Music will present the Dali String Quartet performing a program of Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Morales-Matos, and Piazzolla on Sunday, April 27, at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center.
All you need to know about the Dali String Quartet you can get in a few seconds by watching them perform a piece by Astor Piazzolla (or practically any other composer) on YouTube. The intensely empathic energy they bring to Piazzolla’s music shines just as brightly in their interpretations of standard repertoire. As you might have guessed, the group’s namesake is the Spanish artist Salvador Dalí, who represents the ensemble’s ethos of imagination and excellence.
Here is the group’s lineup:
- Ari Isaacman-Beck, violin
- Carlos Rubio, violín
- Adriana Linares, viola
- Jesus Morales, cello
The program on Sunday is as follows:
- Beethoven — Quartet No. 1 Op. 18
- Mendelssohn — Op. 80 Quartet
- Sonia Morales-Matos — “Divertimento Caribeño No. 3”
- Astor Piazzolla — “Tango Ballet”
Beethoven wrote his Quartet No. 1, Op. 18, at a time when he was still under the powerful influence of Haydn and Mozart. The work largely conforms to expectations prevalent at the end of the 18th century, but that doesn’t mean it reflects anything like timidity. Even in this first quartet, Beethoven pushes the limits of classical form, and several passages already hint at the bold innovations he would introduce in the years ahead.
Mendelssohn didn’t shy away from his own oeuvre when looking for music from which to borrow. His fleet-footed fairies in “Midsummer Night’s Dream” make appearances in several of his works, including his Opus 80 quartet. The tone of the piece, however, is not celebratory—it tends toward the sombre, as Mendelssohn describes in music his grief over the loss of his sister Fanny. But it is was an agitated grief, explaining why the piece has a nervous, troubled quality. The Dali players are sure to nail this piece with their aggressive and precise manner of playing. The work is more lament than tribute, and it is highly demanding of all the players.
Puerto Rican composer Sonia Morales-Matos’ “Divertimento Caribeño No. 3” is an upbeat, rhythmically adventurous work for string quartet that blends classical chamber music with Caribbean dance traditions and musical idioms. It appears regularly on Dali Quartet programs, which is no wonder: These musicians bring an intuitive feel and infectious energy to the piece that really captures its spirit authentically.
Astor Piazzolla’s six-movement “Tango Ballet,” written in 1956 for his own ensemble, the Octeto Buenos Aires, is considered a milestone in the composer’s development of nuevo tango, an idiom blending traditional tango with elements of classical music and jazz.
A reception on the Mahaiwe stage follows Sunday’s concert. You are invited to meet the musicians and enjoy a light repast from Authentic Eats by Ukrainian chef Oleg.
Hear the Dalí String Quartet at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, 14 Castle Street, Great Barrington, MA 01201, on Sunday, April 27, 4 p.m. More information and tickets are available here.