Concert View: Rasa String Quartet

The award-winning Rasa String Quartet investigates the Art of the String Quartet and how the function of each member of the ensemble transformed through time and across traditions. The program begins with the early days of the formal string quartet in Vienna (W.A. Mozart) and Paris (Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges), travels across the globe through a colorful variety of cultural traditions in folk dances by José Elizondo and the Danish String Quartet, and ends with a juxtaposition of two 21st century approaches to the string quartet tradition in masterpieces by Caroline Shaw and Aleksandra Vrebalov.

Tune in on www.rockportmusic.org, YouTube, Facebook, or Instagram.

With each piece, they will demonstrate every instrument’s role (as a homophonic melody, countermelody, solo voice, etc.) how the role of each instrument has changed over time, and how the function of the string quartet itself has evolved depending on cultural influences and era (folk melodies, gypsy melodies, mariachi bands, rock and roll, and extended techniques.)

Also, this program includes a piece by black composer, Joseph Bologne Chevalier de Saint George, that we don’t think has ever been recorded before and it would be really cool to have a high quality video recording of it!

Program
MOZART: Divertimento in F Major, K 138
JOSEPH BOLOGNE, Chevalier de St-Georges: String Quartet VI in Bb Major
ELIZONDO: Estampas Mexicanas – I. Ferial, III. Teotlalli
DANISH QUARTET: Old Reinlender From Sønndala
CAROLINE SHAW: Valencia
VREBALOV: Pannonia Boundless