Beethoven's String Quartet Op. 95, known as the "Serioso" quartet, is a compact piece on the cusp of Beethoven's late work, which pushes the boundaries of form and harmony further than ever before. William Grant Still's Lyric Quartette is a musical portrait of three of the composer's friends. Known as the "Dean of Afro-American Composers," Still's accomplishments include over 200 compositions, being the first African American to conduct a major orchestra (the L.A. Philharmonic), and collaborating with prominent literary and cultural figures in the Harlem Renaissance movement. The concert also includes James Lee III's Abraham’s Sons (in Memoriam Trayvon Martin). Intense and dramatic, this piece is dedicated to the family of Trayvon Martin. Mr. Lee musically depicts the scope of suffering and mourning inferred by the title of this elegiac solo piece. From one of Pro Arte's favorite living composers, Jessie Montgomery's Rhapsody No. 1 is the first in a series of virtuosic pieces for various solo instruments, which she premiered herself on violin in 2014.
BEETHOVEN String Quartet in F minor, op. 95 "Quartetto Serioso"
William Grant STILL Lyric Quartette
James LEE Abraham's Sons (In Memoriam: Trayvon Martin)
Jessie MONTGOMERY Rhapsody No. 1
BEETHOVEN String Quartet in E-flat Major, op. 127