Borromeo Quartet: The Bartok Quartets I

The celebrated Borromeo Quartet returns to Electric Earth Concerts in April and May to present one of the artistic milestones of the twentieth century: the cycle of six string quartets by Béla Bartók, in a two concert sequence.

• Sunday, April 13, 4 p.m. First Church, Jaffrey: Bartok Quartets nos 1, 2 and 4
• Sunday, May 4, 4 p.m. Congregation Ahavas Achim: Bartok quartets nos. 3, 5 and 6

Electric Earth’s co-Artistic Director Jonathan Bagg explains:

“These quartets are a journey through the life and mind of the greatest composer of the era. Bartók was born a romantic, and his music comes from an emotionally charged core. He was also loved the folk music of Eastern Europe and had its idiomatic power at his fingertips. But he came of age in a world beset by changes that compelled serious artists to seek relevance. His Quartets are hugely influential because they are full of the excitement of new ideas, without sacrificing the high compositional standards of great music of the past.”

The world-renowned Borromeo Quartet, long-time quartet in residence at the New England Conservatory, is known for its ability to find both the sense and the drama of the most demanding music. “To hear and see them perform has always felt to me like taking a private tour through a composer’s mind,” says Cathy Fuller, Classical New England host on WGBH, Boston’s famed NPR station. “They probe and analyze from every angle until they discover how to best unveil the psychological, physical, and spiritual states that a great piece of music evokes. They’re champions of new music…but they also thrive on making the old classics sound vital and fresh.”

A perfect summation of his life’s work, according to Bagg, Béla Bartók’s six quartets were written between 1910 and 1940. The Borromeo Quartet will play the First, Second, and Fourth on Sunday, April 13 at 4pm in the First Church of Jaffrey. The Third, Fifth, and Sixth Quartets will be given on Sunday, May 4 at 4pm at Congregation Ahavas Achim in Keene. Admission to each concert $25.