Takács Quartet: Haydn, Britten, Brahms (on-demand through 4/28/2021)
Free ($15+)
Benjamin Britten — String Quartet No. 3 in G major, Op. 94
Johannes Brahms — String Quartet No. 3 in B-flat major, Op. 67
Franz Joseph Haydn – String Quartet in G major, No. 1, Op. 77
Benjamin Britten – String Quartet No. 3
Johannes Brahms – String Quartet No. 3 in B-flat major, Op. 67
The Cal Performances streaming season would not be complete without a recital by audience favorite the Takács Quartet, which in recent years has immersed Berkeley fans in single-composer cycles by Beethoven and Bartók as well as numerous well-received mixed-repertoire programs. Here, the quartet introduces us to its newest member, violist Richard O’Neill, in a concert filmed at the intimate Lone Tree Arts Center near the group’s home base at the University of Colorado, Boulder.
The stylistically diverse program spotlights works from the Classical and Romantic eras as well as the 20th century – Haydn’s masterful Op. 77, No. 1, a work infused with the rhythmic vitality of traditional Hungarian folk music; Brahms’ ebullient Quartet No. 3; and Britten’s profoundly moving Third String Quartet, which the group has recorded to great acclaim. Performances by this honored ensemble are routinely praised for going “straight to the music’s expressive heart.... The Takács Quartet makes the music dance, and that, in essence, is the secret of their success” (Classics Today).
The Cal Performances at Home Spring 2021 season is dedicated to Gail and Dan Rubinfeld, leading supporters of Cal Performances and the well-being of our artists for almost 30 years.
The livestream will take place at 7pm Pacific / 10pm Eastern.