Edward Dusinberre, violin
Harumi Rhodes, violin
Richard O’Neill, viola
András Fejér, cello

BENJAMIN BRITTEN
String Quartet No. 2 in C major, Op. 36

NOKUTHULA NGWENYAMA
Flow

LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN 
String Quartet No. 16 in F major, Op. 135

Celebrating its 50th season, Takács Quartet has cemented itself as a Fortas series favorite! The Grammy Award^®–winning ensemble is acclaimed for its innovative programming, virtuosic performances, and extensive, award-winning discography. Imbuing fervor and fresh insight into each piece, the quartet presents moving interpretations of works in a way that The Guardian proclaims, “Classical music doesn’t get much more life-enhancing than this.”

Ed Dusinberre

“How lucky we are that string quartets inspire such bold experiments! When Beethoven revised his first published quartet, he changed Adagio molto to Adagio affettuoso ed appassionato and Allegretto to Allegro. These and other changes heighten the music’s impact. 

We are excited to play three pieces for you that feature startling juxtapositions and a wide range of emotions. In Britten’s second quartet, we relish moving from an ethereal and spacious opening movement to a hair-raising scherzo and monumental Chacony. Nokuthula Ngwenyama’s radiant piece Flow celebrates the mysteries of the natural world. Whenever we play Beethoven’s last string quartet, we delight in the whimsical elegance of the first movement, the serene gravity of the slow movement, and a finale astounding for the simplicity of its resolution. In his final exploration of the medium, Beethoven demands of us to be assured and doubting, mighty and introspective.”