In Part 5 of the DaPonte Quartet’s live online series, the quartet will play Stravinsky, “Three Pieces for String Quartet,” premiering Saturday, May 15 at onstage.daponte.org.

Filmed at the beautiful Rockport Opera House in April 2021, the concert release is a work composed in 1914 by Russian-born Igor Stravinsky. Often described as a series of pieces to be played by four strings, rather than a traditional string quartet, this work challenges the notion of a classically structured chamber music string quartet. This novel, and one might say revolutionary, collection of pieces is one of only a few string quartet pieces written by this composer. Stravinsky later orchestrated this work, added a fourth piece, and assigned titles to each.

This composer may be best known for his powerful “Rite Of Spring,” characterized by folk themes, distinctive rhythms, and brilliant orchestration. His “Three pieces for String Quartet” can be characterized in much the same way - dynamic rhythms, forceful and meaningful climaxes, and sometimes startlingly powerful musicality. One of these pieces, inspired by the antics of a popular clown of the time, is especially light-hearted and colorful. The other two pieces make a perfect musical sandwich, surrounding the middle piece with contrasting work of equal significance.

Considered one of the most important composers of the 20th century, Stravinsky also enjoyed French and American citizenship later in his life. Known as revolutionary in his ability to successfully push musical boundaries, his compositions are at once intensely satisfying and frightfully unsettling.

His series of three ballet pieces, originally performed in Paris by Ballets Russes, have provided countless dance companies of all genres vast latitudes of expression and rich basis for creativity. The same is true for all his compositions. His departure from classical structure and his unexpected combinations provide musicians with unequaled scope for freedom of expression.

Hear the DaPonte String Quartet’s recent postings of Beethoven, Schulhoff, and Mozart pieces on our Vimeo channel at onstage.daponte.org. All free!

The next premiere date, June 5, DaPonte will present: Ravel: “String Quartet in F Major.”

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