Emerson Quartet to headline fall ChamberMusic@Beall series

 
September 22, 2014—The University of Oregon’s premier ChamberMusic@Beall concert series—known throughout Oregon for bringing renowned live chamber musicians to the ears of Willamette Valley music-lovers—is gearing up for its 2014-15 season. 
 
Six ensembles will take the stage in historic Beall Concert Hall during the UO’s 2014-15 academic year, ranging from chamber ensembles, to a violin prodigy, to a choral ensemble. The two concerts scheduled for fall 2014 will feature the Emerson String Quartet on Oct. 12, and Trio con Brio Copenhagen on Nov. 16. Complete details on all six concerts are available online. 
 
Patrons can purchase reserved-seating tickets in advance from the Hult Center for the Performing Arts (541-682-5000) or the UO Ticket Office (541-346-4363). All six concerts will take place in the acoustically superb, historical environment of Beall Concert Hall, 961 E. 18th Ave, Eugene.
On each of the two fall concert dates, UO musicology doctoral student Lauren Joiner will offer attendees a free pre-concert "Musical Insights" talk at 2:10 p.m. 
 
The ChamberMusic@Beall series is a co-production of the Oregon Bach Festival and the UO School of Music and Dance.
 

Sunday, October 12 | Emerson String Quartet

3 p.m., Beall Concert Hall, Frohnmayer Music Building   
$42, $35, $29, $17; reserved seating | Purchase tickets
 
The acclaimed quartet will perform Beethoven String Quartet op. 18, No. 6; Britten String Quartet No. 2; and Shostakovich String Quartet No. 3.
 
Newsweek has characterized the Emerson String Quartet as “the one indispensable ensemble,” while The London Times wrote, “with musicians like this there must be hope for humanity,” both apt appraisals of a group widely considered one of the finest chamber music ensembles in the world. Having delighted Beall Concert Hall audiences with five performances in the past three decades, the reconfigured Quartet returns to our stage after the recent arrival of cellist Paul Watkins. By all accounts Watkins, also an award-winning conductor, has had a profound effect on the group, infusing its music with an even warmer, richer tone. One of the most acclaimed musical groups today, the Emerson String Quartet has earned a place in the Classical Music Hall of Fame, and has won nine Grammys (including two for best classical album), three Gramophone awards, an Avery Fisher Prize, and a Musical Americas “Ensemble of the Year” award.
 

Sunday, November 16 | Trio con Brio Copenhagen

3 p.m., Beall Concert Hall, Frohnmayer Music Building   
$39, $33, $28, $17; reserved seating | Purchase tickets
 
The group will perform Per Norgaard “Spell;” Brahms Piano Triple in B Major, Op. 8; and, Tchaikovsky Piano Trio in A Minor, Op. 50. 
 
This violin, cello, and piano trio performs the core well-known repertoire as well as contemporary compositions from Scandinavia. Korean sisters Soo-Jin and Soo-Kyung Hong and Danish pianist Jens Elvekjaer created the Trio in Vienna in 1999 with the concept of pairs coming together. Family ties, cultural blending, and musical connections converge to color, shape, and energize this young, innovative ensemble. Last here in 2010, Trio con Brio Copenhagen mesmerized Eugene audiences with both the technical mastery of their repertoire and their virtuosic skill. The Trio is at once edgy, fresh, and playful. This season at Beall, the Trio’s spirited, passionate musicians will play two epic piano works, plus a Nordic composition in homage to their homeland. The Washington Post remarked that, “Trio con Brio Copenhagen clearly occupies a lofty perch in today’s musical scene.” The Trio is winner of numerous prizes, and first commanded international attention with a performance that took the highest prize at Germany’s prestigious ARD-Munich Competition in 2002. Trio con Brio Copenhagen’s busy schedule includes major concert halls in Europe, the US, and Asia.