Academy of the West to Host the World-Renowned Takács Quartet
For Immediate Release June 15, 2007
Contact:
Tim Dougherty
805.695.7908
Santa Barbara, CA- Rare are the artists who routinely garner the most sweeping of superlatives. Rarer still are those whose transcendence is accepted as an uncontested article of faith among critics and fellow artists alike. The Takács Quartet, which will begin a two-week residency at the Music Academy of the West in July, is a collective of just such artists.
Recently hailed by London's Guardian as "the greatest string quartet in the world," the Takács will perform twice at the Lobero Theatre in Santa Barbara and lead a pair of string chamber masterclasses in Lehmann Hall at the Music Academy between July 15 and 28. The Takács will perform a recital at 8 pm Thursday, July 19, and will appear with acclaimed pianist and longtime Music Academy of the West faculty member Jerome Lowenthal at 8 pm Tuesday, July 24. The latter performance will take place as part of a broader program involving several other Music Academy faculty members. Tickets for the Lobero performances will cost $40 and $38, respectively. The quartet's masterclasses will take place at 1 pm on consecutive Fridays, July 20 and 27. Tickets will cost $12 ($11 for students and seniors).
On July 19 the Takács will perform DvoÅ™ák's String Quartet in F Major, op. 96 ("American"); Shostakovich's String Quartet No. 11 in F Minor, op. 122; and Beethoven's glorious String Quartet No. 14 in C-sharp Minor, op. 131. On July 24 the ensemble will tackle Schumann's remarkable Quintet for Piano and Strings in E-flat Major, op. 44. The latter will take place as part of the Academy's Tuesdays @ 8 series at the Lobero throughout the summer season.
Founded 32 years ago in Budapest, the Takács Quartet continues to inspire awe among reviewers and audiences around the globe. Echoing literally scores of similarly admiring reviews, Gramophone magazine's Harriet Smith recently wrote, "The Takács have the ability to make you believe that there's no other possible way the music should go, and the strength to overturn preconceptions that comes only with the greatest performers." Consisting of Edward Dusinberre (first violin), Károly Schranz (second violin), violist Geraldine Walther, and cellist András Fejér, the Takács is based in Boulder, Colorado, where it has been in residence at the University of Colorado since 1983.
Having performed repertoire ranging from Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, and Schubert to Bartok, Britten, Dutilleux, Janacek, and Sheng in virtually every music capital in North America, Europe, Australasia, and Japan, the Takács also has appeared at numerous prestigious festivals, including Aspen, Berlin, Cheltenham, City of London, Mostly Mozart, Ravinia, Salzburg, Schleswig Holstein, and Tanglewood. The ensemble is known as well for its award-winning recordings on the Decca label, including most recently its recording of the complete Beethoven Quartet Cycle, which has been awarded a Grammy Award, two Gramophone Awards, the BBC Music Disc of the Year Award (late quartets), the Classical Brits Award for Ensemble Album of the Year (late quartets), and three Japan Record Academy Chamber Music Awards. Commenting on the group's performances and recordings of these quartets, Cleveland's Plain Dealer enthused, "The Takács might play this repertoire better than any quartet of the past or present." This will be the quartet's third Academy residency.
The Music Academy of the West will celebrate its 60th anniversary with an unprecedented 2007 season program featuring numerous classical music luminaries. The Academy will present more than 190 events over the course of this year's Summer School and Festival, which begins June 18 and concludes on August 11. Highlights will include a community concert at the Santa Barbara Bowl featuring conductor/composer John Williams and violinist Gil Shaham, an ambitious production of La Bohème, performances by baritone Thomas Hampson, violinist Gilles Apap, and the Canadian Brass, and conducting turns by David Robertson, Alexander Lazarev, and Jeffrey Tate.
For information, call 969-8787. Information is also available online at www.musicacademy.org.
Founded in 1947, the Music Academy of the West is among the nation's preeminent summer schools and festivals for gifted young classical musicians. The Academy provides these promising musicians with the opportunity for advanced study and performance under the guidance of internationally renowned faculty artists, as well as guest conductors and soloists. Admission to the Academy is strictly merit based, and students receive full scholarships. Academy alumni are members of major symphony orchestras, chamber orchestras, ensembles, opera companies, and university and conservatory faculties throughout the world. Many have established themselves as prominent solo artists. Based in Santa Barbara, the Music Academy of the West presents more than 175 public events annually, including performances by faculty, visiting artists, and students; masterclasses; orchestra and chamber music concerts; and fully staged opera. For more information, visit www.musicacademy.org.
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Academy of the West to Host the World-Renowned Takacs Quartet
