Listen to Franklin Keel (cello), Karen Pommerich (violin), Kara Poorbaugh (viola) and Mariya Potapova (violin) weave the artistry of the Opal String Quartet!
The Opal String Quartet will share with us Beethoven's monumental Quartet in C# minor, opus 131. For the better part of a year, the quartet has been studying this piece, one of the composer's last and most experimental works. The work is performed in seven continuous movements without pause. The piece (featured in the film The Late Quartet starring Philip Seymour Hoffmann and Christopher Walken) begins with a brooding fugue and blooms into soaring melodies, an expansive theme and variations, a quirky, satirical scherzo, and a ferocious finale.
The Opal String Quartet, formed in 2006, is a professional chamber ensemble based in Asheville, North Carolina. Known for its fiery intensity and polished precision, the OSQ is dedicated to bringing the art of chamber music to diverse audiences by performing in a wide variety of venues, from schools, bars, and art galleries to street corners and concert halls. While taking a fresh approach to traditional masterworks, the quartet specializes in the performance of contemporary repertoire, and enjoys collaborating with living composers and premiering new works.
A portion of the proceeds from this concert will support the Olympia Brown Oxford House for women in recovery.