Read the program notes here.

“Classical music doesn’t get much more life-enhancing than this,” said The Guardian about a recent performance by the Grammy-winning Takács Quartet. This second of two programs by the Takács opens with Dvořák’s “Slavonic” quartet, the first of his mature chamber works. Celebrated as a perfect fusion of classical style and Bohemian folk sensibility, it’s full of shifts between darkness and light reminiscent of Schubert.

Ngwenyama writes in her program note, "When Harumi Rhodes of the celebrated Takács Quartet asked me about writing a piece for the group I was surprised, greatly honored and fearful. The string quartet is considered a “perfect” ensemble...Harumi asked that the quartet be about anything in the natural world...I researched a wide array of subjects for over a year… I listened to the recordings of the Takács Quartet with gusto. Systems layered upon other systems revealed a common flow to existence tying us to the initial outburst of energy and matter at the birth of our universe." The result was Flow, which the Takács has been premiering in cities across the country this year. The Quartet has been happy with the reception, saying “We love how audiences are responding to the beauty, humor, and sense of wonder with which Thula celebrates the natural world.”

The final work of Schubert’s 31-year life was the extraordinary string quintet, which is frequently performed and regarded as one of the pinnacles of the chamber music repertoire. Shortly before that composition came the String Quartet in G, an epic work in its own right, and equally haunting and transcendent.

Experience the transformative power of chamber music performed by one of the greatest ensembles on the world stage today.