February 27, 2003
Contact: Sarah Ray
802-443-5794
sray@middlebury.edu
Posted: February 27, 2003
MIDDLEBURY,
VT - The London-based Belcea Quartet brings a burst of freshness and
energy to the international chamber music scene. The group plans a stop
in Vermont on its current United States tour with a performance at 7:30
p.m., Tuesday, March 18, in the Concert Hall at Middlebury College’s Center
for the Arts on South Main St. (Route 30). The program will include Schubert’s
“Rosamunde” Quartet D797, Opus 26; Webern’s “Five Pieces,”
Opus 5; and Beethoven’s “String Quartet Number 14” in C sharp
minor, Opus 131.
Founded in
1994 at the Royal College of Music, the Belcea Quartet has received coaching
from the Chilingirian Quartet, the Amadeus Quartet and Simon Rowland-Jones.
Its members have garnered increasing international attention since 1999
when they won first prize at international string quartet competitions
in both Osaka and Bordeaux. Those honors led to their representing Great
Britain in the European Concert Halls Organization “Rising Stars”
series during the 1999-2000 season. As part of the series, the Belcea
Quartet made debuts in New York, Vienna, Amsterdam, Paris, Brussels and
London.
In addition
to concert and festival appearances, the quartet was a guest artist for
the BBC Radio 3 “New Generations” program from 1999-2001. In
2001, the group’s first recording for EMI, featuring works of Debussy,
Ravel and Dutilleux, won Gramophone Magazine’s debut recording prize.
The recording also won a Diapason d’Or Award and led to a five-year recording
contract with EMI.
The Evening
Standard of London declared,” The Belcea would be a phenomenon at
any time in the history of the professional string quartet
The
result is music of extraordinary magnetism.”
The
group’s current U.S. tour features performances in Boston and Los Angeles.
Also this season they plan return visits to Australia, Japan, Italy, Germany,
Switzerland and the Netherlands.
The
Belcea Quartet’s home base remains in London, where the group is currently
in residence at Wigmore Hall. The venue provides ample opportunities for
collaboration with other artists, such as Piotr Anderszewski, another
performer who will visit Middlebury College in March, Thomas Kakuska and
Isabelle van Keulen.
The
performance is sponsored by two Middlebury College organizations: the
Performing Arts Series and Brainerd Commons.
Tickets
for the performance are $10 for general admission and $8 for seniors.
For tickets or information, contact the Middlebury College Box Office
at 802-443-6433. Online tickets and information are available www.middlebury.edu/cfa.