Master Interpreters of 20Th Century Music

Master Interpreters of 20th Century Music,

Arditti Quartet Opens Ligeti Series

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE –9/27/2017

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Daniel Meyers

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University of Chicago Presents

773.702.8068

CHICAGO – On Friday, October 20, 2017, at 7:30 PM, in Mandel Hall,the award winning Arditti Quartet, recognized world wide for its interpretations of contemporary and 20th century music, comes to the University of Chicago to launch UChicago Presents’season exclusive Ligeti Series.

In a rare Chicago concert appearance, the Arditti Quartet presents GyörgyLigeti’s first and second string quartets as well as quartets by fellow Hungarian, BélaBartók. Ligeti composed his first string quartet in Hungary in 1953/54. The avant-garde composer knew that such complex music would be unacceptable to the Soviet authorities, and he delayed the work's premier until after he escaped from Hungary during the 1956 revolution. His second string quartet came more than a decade later, in 1968, when the composer was on the brink of fame. Unbeknownst to him, director and producer Stanley Kubrick used excerpts of his music in the film 2001: A Space Odyssey, and the innovative 45-year-old composer suddenly found himself famous.

Also on the program are the third and fourth string quartets of early 20th century composer BélaBartók. The quartets are exemplary of Bartók's fascination with architectural construction in music. Each develops a kernel of material through an infinite variety of rhythms, harmonies, and permutations to create endlessly exciting music.

The Arditti Quartet also presents a special open session and discussion the following morning, Saturday, October 21, 2017, at 10:30 AM, on their career as a foremost interpreter of 20th century music.

FRIDAY / OCTOBER 20 / 7:30 PM / MANDEL HALL

Pre-concert lecture with Anthony Cheung / 6:30 pm

Arditti Quartet

BÉLA BARTÓK: String Quartet No. 3

GYÖRGY LIGETI: String Quartet No. 1 “Métamorphoses nocturnes”

BARTÓK: String Quartet No. 4

LIGETI: String Quartet No. 2

CONCERT LOCATION
Mandel Hall, 1131 E 57th St, Chicago, IL 60637

TICKETS

$38 / $20 under 35

Call773.702.ARTS (773.702.2787) or visit tickets.uchicago.edu

SATURDAY / OCTOBER 21 / 10:30 AM / LOGAN PENTHOUSE

Special Open Session and Discussion

The Logan Center for the Arts Penthouse, 615 E 60th St, Chicago, IL 60637

Free, reservations requested

BOX OFFICE

UChicago Arts Box Office, Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts, 915 E 60th Street

Regular hours are Tuesday – Saturday, 12 pm – 6 pm and through concert intermission;

1 – 4 pm on concert Sundays.

Concert information online atchicagopresents.uchicago.edu

Click here for full program notes

ABOUT ARDITTI QUARTET

The Arditti Quartet enjoys a world-wide reputation for their spirited and technically refined interpretations of contemporary and earlier 20th century music. Many hundreds of string quartets and other chamber works have been written for the ensemble since its foundation by first violinist Irvine Arditti in 1974. Many of these works have left a permanent mark on 20th century repertoire and have given the Arditti Quartet a firm place in music history. World premieres of quartets by composers such as Abrahamsen, Ades, Andriessen, Aperghis, Birtwistle, Britten, Cage, Carter, Denisov, Dillon, Dufourt, Dusapin, Fedele, Ferneyhough, Francesconi, Gubaidulina, Guerrero, Harvey, Hosokawa, Kagel, Kurtag, Lachenmann, Ligeti, Maderna, Manoury, Nancarrow, Reynolds, Rihm, Scelsi, Sciarrino, Stockhausen and Xenakis and hundreds more show the wide range of music in the Arditti Quartet’s repertoire.

The ensemble believes that close collaboration with composers is vital to the process of interpreting modern music and therefore attempts to work with every composer it plays. The players’ commitment to educational work is indicated by their masterclasses and workshops for young performers and composers all over the world.

The Arditti Quartet’s extensive discography now features over 200 CDs. 42 CD's were released as part of the ensemble's series on Naive Montaigne. This series set the trend by presenting numerous contemporary composer features, recorded in their presence, as well as the first digital recordings of the complete Second Viennese School's chamber music for strings. The quartet has recorded for more than 20 other CD labels, and together this CD collection is the most extensive available of quartet literature in the last 40 years. To name just a few:Berio, Cage, Carter, Lachenmann, Ligeti, Nono, Rihm, the complete chamber music of Xenakis, and Stockhausen's infamous Helicopter Quartet. Some of the most recent releases are with the French company Aeon and include profiles of Harvey, Dusapin, Birtwistle, Gerhard, Ferneyhough and Paredes.

Over the past 30 years, the ensemble has received many prizes for its work. They have won the Deutsche SchallplattenPreis several times and the Gramophone Award for the best recording of contemporary music in 1999 (Elliott Carter) and 2002 (Harrison Birtwistle). In 2004 they were awarded the 'Coup de Coeur' prize by the Academie Charles Cros in France for their exceptional contribution to the dissemination of contemporary music. The prestigious Ernst von Siemens Music Prize was awarded to them in 1999 for ‘lifetime achievement’ in music. They remain to this day, the only ensemble ever to receive it.

ABOUT THE LIGETI SERIES AND UCHICAGO PRESENTS

This season UChicago Presents offers a series dedicated to exploring the life, works, influences, and legacy of György Ligeti (1923-2006), one of the most significant 20th century composers.

The series begins and ends with artists who had close and deep associations with Ligeti, bookending performances of his works by younger generations of artists and ensembles who continue to perpetuate his legacy. Each concert will be preceded by a lecture one hour prior to the performance.

Now in its 74th year of bringing the world's best artists to Chicago, The University of Chicago Presents offers 25 unique performances in six distinct series in the 2017/18 season, from early music to classical, contemporary, and jazz. This season celebrates the richness that music has to offer with unrivaled musical experiences that bring passion and virtuosity to the stage.

We are grateful to all of our supporters and partners, including:

Presenting Partners:

Promotional and In-Kind

UChicago Partnerships

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