92NY presents Meta4: Declarations of Love

Meta4 Quartet and 92NY

Friday, May 2, 2025 @ 7:30pm – 9:30pm (EDT)

Buttenwieser Hall at The Arnhold Center, 92NY, New York, NY, United States

Online and in-person

In person: $48 ($42 Friends of 92Y) |
Stream: $31

Leoš Janáček — String Quartet No. 2 "Intimate Letters"
Sally Beamish — String Quartet No. 4 "Nine Fragments"
Robert Schumann — String Quartet No. 1 in A minor, Op. 41, No. 1

The extraordinary Finnish string quartet Meta4 makes a rare U.S. appearance—and their NYC mainstage debut—with a thoughtful program examining adult love in all its nuances and complexities. The ensemble is striking in their colorful, muscular sound and in their visual impact—with the exception of the cellist they perform standing up, allowing for freedom of both movement and expression. Their program, Declarations of Love, begins with Janacek's gorgeous manifesto on love, his second string quartet, "Intimate Letters," inspired by the letters of adoration he exchanged with his young muse, Kamila Stösslová. British composer Sally Beamish's "Nine Fragments"/String Quartet No. 4 is inspired by Robert Schumann's A minor String Quartet. Beamish writes, "My quartet consists of 9 very short, fragmentary movements—each tilting a broken mirror towards a particular passage in Schumann's work and reflecting widely differing moods; from melancholy to elation." The concert culminates in a performance of the Schumann quartet, with its mercurial examination of love.

Online streaming also available for 72 hours following the performance.

About Meta4 Quartet

Meta4, formed in 2001, is one of the most internationally successful Finnish string quartets. In 2004 it won the first prize in the International Shostakovich Quartet Competition in Moscow and was also awarded a special prize for best Shostakovich interpretation. The quartet enjoyed continued success in 2007, when it won the first prize in the International Joseph Haydn Chamber Music Competition in Vienna. Later that year the Finnish Minister of Culture awarded Meta4 with the annual Finland Prize in recognition of an international breakthrough. Meta4 was selected as a BBC New Generation Artist for 2008–2010 and in 2013 Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation awarded the quartet with a special prize in recognition of its work.

https://www.opus3artists.com/artists/meta4/