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Works by two giants of Japanese music–Tōru Takemitsu and Akira Nishimura–are combined with exciting new pieces by Japanese American and Japanese Canadian composers in this concert celebrating the National Cherry Blossom Festival.
Takemitsu’s “A Way A Lone”—with its dreamy, atmospheric sounds inspired by James Joyce—has become a staple of string quartet repertoire since it was commissioned by the Tokyo String Quartet in 1980. Nishimura’s evocative “Azure Dragon (Spring)” was co-commissioned by the Freer and Sackler in 2018 as part of an international project to create a new “Four Seasons for String Quartet,” inspired by Vivaldi’s orchestral masterpiece. Composer and cellist Paul Wiancko’s LIFT quartet expertly weaves a multiplicity of influences and earned a Grammy nomination in its first recording by the Aizuri Quartet in 2018. Wiancko is a veteran of the Marlboro Music Festival and was selected by the Kronos Quartet for their “50 for the Future” composing project. Keiko Devaux’s “Dust” showcases her mastery of drama in music through virtuoso extended techniques.
The Jasper String Quartet, formed at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in 2010, is a past winner of Chamber Music America’s prestigious Cleveland Quartet Award and is Professional Quartet-in-Residence at Temple University's Center for Gifted Young Musicians. They last performed for the Freer and Sackler in 2018. Images courtesy of Martha Holland |
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