Alternate Realities: Bartók Quartet Cycle (Part 2)

Among the most influential achievements of Béla Bartók (1881-1945) are the six string quartets he wrote between 1908 and 1939. The award-winning Borromeo String Quartet will offer a unique exploration of Bartók’s creative process by juxtaposing previously unknown early sketches of the works with their complete and final versions. The Borromeo will perform the complete cycle of quartets in a concert that spans two evenings, with Quartets No. 2, No. 4, and No. 6 performed on December 5 (this event). Get tickets now. No. 1, No. 3, and No. 5 will be performed on December 4 (the previous evening).

Describing a Bartók concert by the Borromeo at the Curtis Institute, the Philadelphia Inquirer wrote that the quartet “performed at a high standard that brought you so deeply into the music’s inner workings that you wondered if your brain could take it all in… The music’s mystery, violence, and sorrow become absolutely inescapable.”

Attending both Alternate Realities events? Add a third concert and get the subscription discount (3 concerts for $100)! Visit the Events Calendar.

Read the program notes by Linda Berna.