May 7, 2009
UW-created American String Project to perform at Benaroya Hall May 14, 16, 17
The American String Project, a 15-member string orchestra started by UW Music Professor Barry Lieberman and his wife, Maria Larionoff, will perform May 14, 16 and 17 at Benaroya Hall.
Each year, Liberman recruits “musicians from the most elite orchestras, universities and chamber groups” to perform three concerts of string music written for the smaller ensemble. The group includes five first violins, four second violins, three violas, two violoncelli and one double bass. With no conductor, leadership rests in the concertmaster position, which is rotated among the violinists.
Lieberman describes the process this way: “Rehearsals are a combination of suggestions, arguments, resolutions, compromise and laughter. This egalitarian effort results in total commitment on the part of each player to the quality of the performance that the audience experiences.”
This year’s program includes:
Thursday, May 14, 7:30 p.m.
String Quartet in F Minor, Opus 80, by Felix Mendelssohn; Echoes for String Quartet (1966), by Bernard Herrmann; String Quartet No. 3, Opus 30, by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
Saturday, May 16, 7:30 p.m.
String Quartet No. 3 in A Major, Op. 41, by Robert Schumann; Canciones Populares Espanolas by Manuel de Falla (arranged by S. Chase); String Quartet No. 2 in F Major Opus 92, by Sergei Prokofiev.
Sunday, May 17, 2 p.m.
Canciones Populares Espanolas, by Manuel de Falla; String Quartet No. 2 in F Major Opus 92, by Sergei Prokofiev; String Quartet No. 3, Opus 30, by Tchaikovsky.
Tickets are $35 for adults ($25 for the first four rows), $20 for seniors and $10 for students. Click here for more information or to purchase tickets.
