2024-25 Repertoire

Concert 1
Friday, September 13, 2024
“Kreutzer”
Haydn: Quartet in D Major, Op.20, No.4
Janacek: Quartet No.1, “Kreutzer Sonata”
Ludwig van Beethoven: String Quartet in E minor, Op.59, No.2

The ASQ kicks off their 24-25 season with Franz Joseph Haydn, the father of the string quartet, whose Op.20 string quartets brought the art of the string quartet to life.  Haydn’s hallmark beauty, clarity, poise, and humor are all captured in his Op.20, No.4, a favorite piece of the ASQ, and the perfect way to open the season.  Janacek’s supercharged “Kreutzer” Quartet follows, bringing to life Tolstoy’s novel of the same name, a psychological thriller packed with passion, jealousy and murder!  To round off the program, the ASQ presents Beethoven’s Quartet in E minor, Op.59, No.2, an electrifying musical journey known for its ferocious dynamism.  

Concert 2
Friday, November 1
“Goodbye, Hello”
Arnold Schoenberg: Quartet in D Major (1897)
Joan Tower: “Nightfields” (1994)
Johannes Brahms: Clarinet Quintet in B minor, Op.115, with Oskar Espina-Ruiz, clarinet 

With modernization and change accelerating in the Western world at the end of the 19th century, evolving musical styles and ideas raced to anticipate innovations of the 20th century, saying “Goodbye” to some traditions, and “Hello” to the future.  Arnold Schoenberg’s rarely heard Quartet in D Major from 1897 offers a rare glimpse into the mind of a 23-year old genius on the precipice of an entirely new view what music can sound like.  To follow, we celebrate the 30th anniversary of Joan Tower’s riveting quartet “Nightfields”, one of the greatest works for string quartet of late 20th century.  With her uniquely visceral sound, Joan Tower’s music glows with shifting color and movement, sparking the imagination, and challenging the possibilities of quartet playing.

To wrap up the evening, the ASQ is delighted to introduce the phenomenal clarinetist Oskar Espina-Ruiz to St. Louis for a performance of Johannes Brahms’ astounding Clarinet Quintet, Op.115, a crowning achievement by one of the greatest innovators of the 19th century.

Friday, February 21
“DSCH”
with Alla Voskoboynikova, piano
Shostakovich: Selected Piano Preludes, Op.34
Shostakovich: String Quartet No.8 in C minor, Op.110
Shostakovich: Piano Quintet in G minor, Op.57 

Fifty years after his death, Shostakovich’s music continues to connect with the hearts, souls and minds of listeners in new and profound ways. The works of this unique musical spirit continue to conjure the fragility, anxiety, passion and power of the human experience.  The ASQ shares the stage with their acclaimed UMSL colleague, pianist Alla Voskoboynikova, for an unforgettable Shostakovich retrospective, highlighted by selections from his early Piano Preludes (1933), his joyfully enchanting middle-period Piano Quintet. Op. 57 (1940) and his epic String Quartet No.8 (1960).  Don’t miss this special opportunity to experience Shostakovich’s music through three of his most stirring masterpieces. 

Friday, March 7
“Visionaries”
Ludwig van Beethoven: Quartet in F Major, Op.18, No.1
John Corigliano: “Snapshot: Circa 1909”
Amy Beach: Piano Quintet in F# minor, Op.67, with Nina Ferrigno, piano 

A “Visionary” is someone whose raw talent, inspired brilliance, and creative fortitude combine to create a new vision for what might be possible. The ASQ celebrates three of these special musical creators in tonight’s performance. The program opens with Beethoven’s Quartet in F Major, the first work in his revolutionary set of Opus 18 quartets that balances elegance, lyricism, wit and power.  Beethoven sent a thunderbolt through classical music in 1801, and the aftershocks are still being felt.  John Corigliano’s poignant “Snapshot: Circa 1909” captures a momentary image in sound, a musical reflection of a photograph of his father and uncle, giving us the opportunity to contemplate our own past, present and future in a new way.  In closing, the ASQ is thrilled to join forces for the first time with virtuoso pianist Nina Ferrigno for a performance of Amy Beach’s marvelous Piano Quintet, Op.67, a tour de force work by one of America’s greatest composers and trailblazers of the early 20th century.

Friday, May 9
“Sounds of Cinema”
Leoš Janáček: String Quartet No.2, “Intimate Letters”
Caroline Shaw: “Valencia” (2012)
Erich Korngold: Piano Quintet in E Major, Op.15, with Judith Gordon, piano

Music and movies go together so seamlessly, that we sometimes can’t tell which medium is leading the drama and expression; is it the sound or the imagery? In an evening dedicated to three composers whose work has influenced and appeared in movies, the ASQ invites you on a journey of spectacular music conjuring story, characters, and mood.  Heard as part of the sizzling soundtrack to 1988’s “The Unbearable Lightness of Being”, Janacek’s Quartet No. 2 “Intimate Letters” depicts a story of one man’s love, passion, and obsessive devotion to the woman of his dreams.  Next, American composer Caroline Shaw’s distinctive sound has taken the musical world by storm, both on stage and in film offering a unique blend of complexity and hope through the colorful imagery that her music evokes.   Erich Korngold’s luscious musical scores for movies from the 1930’s and 1940’s were some of the first to bring true compositional genius into partnership with cinema.  To close their 2024-25 St. Louis season, the ASQ welcomes celebrated pianist Judith Gordon back to the series for a performance of Korngold’s seldom heard Piano Quintet, Op.15, a sensational work that promises to take you on a journey guided by your own imagination!