One of Caramoor’s earliest quartets-in-residence, the internationally acclaimed Miró Quartet returns to the Spanish Courtyard to perform masterpieces from Brahms and Schumann, as well as contemporary works by two Pulitzer Prize-winning composers. Caroline Shaw’s Microfictions is a set of six miniatures inspired by the surreal paintings of Joan Miró, the quartet’s namesake, and George T. Walker’s Lyric for Strings is an elegy to the composer’s grandmother, who suffered and escaped slavery.
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“The ensemble played with lithe tempos and lean textures, beautifully balancing cool refinement and intense expressivity.”
— The New York Times
Artists
Daniel Ching, violin
William Fedkenheuer, violin
John Largess, viola
Joshua Gindele, cello
Program
Robert Schumann: Scherzo from String Quartet in A Minor, Op. 41, No. 1
Caroline Shaw: Microfictions
George T. Walker: Lyric for Strings
Johannes Brahms: String Quartet in C Minor, Op. 51, No. 1
The Miró Quartet is one of America’s most celebrated and dedicated string quartets, having been labeled by The New Yorker as “furiously committed” and noted by the Cleveland Plain Dealer for its “exceptional tonal focus and interpretive intensity.” For over 25 years the Quartet has performed throughout the world on the most prestigious concert stages, earning accolades from critics and audiences alike. Based in Austin, TX, and thriving on the area’s storied music scene, the Miró takes pride in finding new ways to communicate with audiences of all backgrounds while cultivating the longstanding tradition of chamber music.
In their 2022–23 season, the Miró premieres a new work entitled Microfictions, written for them by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Caroline Shaw. The work has been commissioned for the quartet by an impressive consortium of presenting organizations including Carnegie Hall, Shriver Hall, the La Jolla Music Society, Premiere Performances (Hong Kong), and Chamber Music Houston. The Miró is also partnering with renowned soprano Karen Slack in a new program exploring the works of Florence Price and Margaret Bonds.
The Miró Quartet took its name and its inspiration from the Spanish artist Joan Miró, whose Surrealist works — with subject matter drawn from the realm of memory, dreams, and imaginative fantasy — are some of the most groundbreaking, influential, and admired of the 20th century.
The Miró Quartet is an alum of Caramoor’s 2000–01 Ernst Stiefel String Quartet-in-Residence mentoring program.
To learn more about the Miró Quartet, please visit their website (miroquartet.com).
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This concert was made possible, in part, thanks to the generous support of The Amphion Foundation and The Maximilian E. and Marion O. Hoffman Foundation.