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Sneak Peek …read more
Once these music professors (University of Texas) discovered their magic as quartet-performers, greatness became their hallmark. Seems whenever The Miro Quartet enters a competition, they win either “First” or “Grand.”
To further verify their quality, Miro recently became the first ensemble ever to be awarded the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant.
“They unleash waves of voluptuous sound.” ~ New York Times
- At this intimate venue, they begin with Beethoven’s Opus 18 #4 “Played with amazing precision in every detail.” ~ Milton Moore
- Followed by Kevin Puts’ Credo. “It mixes Dvorak’s polish with Ives’ individuality. Miro plays ‘Credo’ with explosive vigor.” ~ New York Times
- Then, a Festival first: The four Principal Strings of the Arizona Musicfest All-Star Orchestra join The Miro Quartet for Mendelssohn’s Octet…a work, the Washington Post declares, “Exhausts one’s superlatives.”
Super Strings, indeed!
Preview a selection by the Miro Quartet below.
Miro Quartet Bios
All-Star Orchestra Bios
Super Strings! with the Miro Quartet
The Miro Quartet is thrilled to be appearing at Arizona Musicfest. The quartet will perform Beethoven’s Quartet Op. 18 No. 4, Kevin Puts’ Credo, and the Mendelssohn Octet collaborating with Corine Brouwer, Robin Mayforth, Janet Sims, and Brant Taylor, ‘First Chairs’ from the Arizona Musicfest All-Star Orchestra.
John Largess, violist of the Miro Quartet, is especially looking forward to the Mendelssohn, a captivating work that is unique in chamber music literature. It is scored for double string quartet, but the young prodigy did not simply “double up” the four instrumental parts. Instead, he took a “symphonic” approach and wrote for eight individual voices. “The Miro Quartet is excited to perform Mendelssohn’s brilliant string octet with the principals of the All-Star Orchestra,” said John Largess. “This sparkling work is tour de force for all eight players, and never fails to delight the audience with its drama, beauty, and sheer energy.”
Kevin Puts’ Credo was commissioned for and premiered by the Miro Quartet. The Miro Quartet recently recorded Credo for their latest CD, released this past month. “This piece expresses so beautifully the belief in our nation, and the everyday experiences that form the tapestry of our lives” said Mr. Largess, “our loves, hopes, and achievements.”
The composers’ own words capture the works’ origin and mood: “One day on my weekly commute from New York to teach at the Peabody Conservatory, I noticed as the train pulled into Baltimore the word ‘Believe’ emblazoned across a building. I later learned this was part of a campaign by the city of Baltimore to do something about the fact that ten percent of its population is addicted to either heroin or cocaine. As one who relies little if at all on blind faith, I found this to be a rather alarming approach. On the other hand, sometimes it seems all you can do is believe… In the meantime, I have found solace in the strangest places.”
The Arizona Musicfest concert program will also include the Op. 18 No. 4 Quartet by Beethoven, a work that looks back to the classical period of Mozart and yet points far into the Romantic Era. Although using “orchestral” texture throughout the piece, the composer also elevated the importance of each solo voice. According to John Largess, “This is one of the most dramatic and stormy works of Beethoven’s young life. Written just as he began to go tragically deaf, this piece veritably explodes with energy.”
Miro Quartet
Wow! What a treat! The Miro Quartet will perform the complex, richly melodic and emotional String Quartet, Op. 18, No. 4 by Ludwig Van Beethoven. It is a major work the German ‘Titan’ set in C minor, the key Beethoven saved for his most serious works…his Symphony No. 5 for one. The one and only Octet in E Flat Major for Strings written in 1825 by the 16 year old (Yes, that is correct!) Felix Mendelssohn is the second half of the program. It was written a year before A Midsummer Night’s Dream! And yes, the work is sheer magic! Melodic, joyous, sparkling, dramatic! (You will find more superlative adjectives after you hear this spellbinding work!) The fun is doubled as is the instrumentation, when four First Chairs of our wonderful Arizona Musicfest All-Star Orchestra join the Miro foursome to bring us this chamber music tour de force. There can be no better concert hall experience than hearing the finest of musicians play the finest of musical literature!
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