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Catalyst String Quartet to open Santa Fe Pro Musica series
The Grammy Award-winning Catalyst String Quartet opens Santa Fe Pro Musica鈥檚 string quartet series on Sunday, Oct. 13, at St. Francis Auditorium.
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A catalyst is an agent that provokes or precipitates significant change.
Seeking to reimagine classical music, the Grammy Award-winning Catalyst String Quartet opens Santa Fe Pro Musica鈥檚 string quartet series on Sunday, Oct. 13, at St. Francis Auditorium, in Santa Fe.
The New York-based quartet was founded by the Sphinx Organization, a nonprofit group dedicated to the development of young Black and Latino classical musicians.
The program ranges from the tango of Astor Piazzolla to Gershwin and Ravel.
鈥淩avel was someone who embraced the world through classical music,鈥� said Colin Jacobsen, Pro Musica artistic director. 鈥淭heir program is embracing this.鈥�
The concert will open with the Argentinian dance music of Paquito D鈥橰ivera, a Cuban American alto saxophonist, clarinetist and composer, followed by Astor Piazzolla鈥檚 鈥淪uite del 脕ngel.鈥� His works revolutionized the traditional tango into a new style termed nuevo tango, incorporating elements from jazz and classical music. The suite is described as a smoky tavern tango with a lamenting melody.
Ravel鈥檚 String Quartet in F is modelled on that of Claude Debussy鈥檚 String Quartet, written in 1893, although Ravel鈥檚 musical ideas strongly contrast with Debussy鈥檚. The composer completed the piece in early April 1903 at the age of 28.
鈥淭he Ravel is the most luscious, perfectly crafted dancing piece,鈥� Jacobsen said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of influence of flamenco music in the second movement.鈥�
The Gershwin piece is a lullaby.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a short gem of a lullaby for string quartet,鈥� Jacobsen said. 鈥淕ershwin was also influenced by Ravel.鈥�
The composer鈥檚 Lullaby of 1919 was conceived at the keyboard. The one-movement work was then scored for string quartet and became a favorite at the private musicales held by Gershwin鈥檚 friends. The melody of the piece took on a second life as an aria in his opera 鈥淏lue Monday.鈥� For the next four decades, revivals of 鈥淏lue Monday鈥� provided the melody鈥檚 only appearance. It wasn鈥檛 until 1967 that the original string quartet received its first public performance in the hands of the Juilliard String Quartet.
