The Music of American composer Ben Johnston
Join us for a pre-concert talk at 7:15pm.
A survey of the extraordinary chamber music by one of this country’s foremost composers of microtonal music.
THE PROGRAM
All works composed by Ben Johnston
String Quartet #4 “Amazing Grace”
Duo for Two Violins (1978)
- Fuga
- Aria
- Toccata
Fugue for Viols (1991) – Twice!
performed by the Copernicus Viol Quartet
Treble: Alexa Haynes-Pilon
Tenors: Malachai Bandy & Nick Volpert
Bass: Sonia Arbouche
INTERMISSION
String Quartet #9 (1988)
- Strong, calm, slow
- Fast, elated
- Slow, expressive
- Vigorous and defiant
Members of the LYRIS QUARTET have won top prizes at the Tchaikovsky International Competition and Aspen Music Festival and have collaborated closely with composers Krystof Penderecki, Andrew Norman, Oliver Knussen, Steven Mackey, John Adams, Bruce Broughton, Peter Knell, Kurt Rohde, Paquito D’Rivera, Wadada Leo Smith, and Gerard Schurmann. They appeared alongside composer/pianist Billy Childs as part of the LA Phil’s Jazz and World music series at Disney Hall and with Steve Reich at LACMA’s Bing Hall.
The quartet has appeared throughout North America, Europe, and Asia in a diverse range of ensembles including Grammy nominated groups Absolute Ensemble, Southwest Chamber Music, and Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa as well as solo and chamber appearances in various festivals such as Ravinia, Brahms Festival in Madrid, Music Academy of the West, Banff Centre for the Arts, Czech SommerFest, and Oregon Festival of American Music among others. This year will mark their fifth season as the resident ensemble for the critically acclaimed series Jacaranda: Music at the Edge, and their third appearance at MicroFest. The Lyris Quartet has recorded for Toccata Classics, ARS, MicroFest, and Naxos record labels, while this evening’s concert will be the subject of a forthcoming MicroFest Records release.
