presents the

CARMINA QUARTET

Auditorium, APS Conference Center, Argonne National Laboratory
Saturday, February 13, 1999 at 8:00 p.m.

Matthias Enderle, violin Wendy Champney, viola
Susanne Frank, violin Stephan Goerner, cello

Program
Beethoven Quartet in C minor, Op. 18 No. 4
Giger from “Quartinen der Vergänglichkeit (1998-1999)” -- World premiere
Berg Quartet, Op. 3
Brahms Quartet in A minor, Op. 51 No. 2

About the Program

“Quartinen der Vergänglichkeit (1998-1999)”, which will receive its world premiere at this concert, was commissioned by the Carmina Quartet. The work comes with an atmospheric title, which is basically untranslatable in any form that retains the mystery and poetry of the original German. We are respecting the wish of the composer, Paul Giger, who asked us not to cobble together a direct translation; but all the same, we would like to give our audience some clues as to the nature of the work.

The title is taken from a poetry cycle written by the Swiss poet Matthias Dieterle. “Quartinen” refers to the poetic form -- a cycle of minimalistic four-line poems. The word “Vergänglichkeit” can perhaps best be approached by the root words “fleeting” or “ephemeral,” in the sense of the phrase “life is fleeting.”

The Carmina Quartet commissioned this work as part of a project to mark the approaching turn of the millenium; the Quartet is planning to perform it throughout 1999 as part of a “fin de siècle” program. However, the commissioned work has taken on a life of its own, far transcending the Quartet's short-term plans and requirements for a 20-minute work that fits in a traditional three-part program. The composer says that the work is taking form as a cycle of shorter movements that is over an hour in length. According to Giger, one should view it as one would a Schubert song cycle, in the sense that the performers are welcome to select a combination of movements according to their own preferences and the requirements of the program at hand.

Paul Giger is currently assisting the Quartet in the selection of the first group from “Quartinen der Vergänglichkeit.” This group will be performed by the Quartet on their upcoming U.S. tour and in Vienna. It is the version you will hear at the Arts at Argonne concert on February 13.

About the Artists

Formed in 1984, the Carmina Quartet from Switzerland is now firmly established among the top international string quartets. They have gathered large followings in the major European music centers, as well as in the United States since their coast-to-coast tour in 1994-95.

The ensemble dedicates a major part of its time to recording. They have been under contract with Denon since 1991. Their first recording of works by Mendelssohn, Szymanowski, and Webern received the 1992 “Best Chamber Music Recording” Award from the British magazine Gramophone, a “Choc” from the French Monde de la musique magazine, and a Grammy nomination. Their Brahms recording released in 1994 received a Deutsche Schallplattenpreis. The Carmina's most recent Denon release features the Haydn String Quartets Opus 76, Nos. 1-3.

Location

The concert will be presented in the Auditorium of the APS Conference Center (Bldg. 402) at Argonne. It is open to the public; no special permit is required to enter the laboratory site.

Don't know how to reach Argonne? Confused about the layout of the laboratory site? Here are some navigational aides:

Tickets

Admission to the concert is $18. Use the ticket request form to order your tickets by mail.

Remaining tickets will be sold in the lobby of the Argonne Cafeteria (Bldg. 213) during the week of February 8 between noon and 1:00 p.m. The Auditorium Box Office will be open on the day of the performance at 7:30 p.m.

Reception and Dinner

The audience is invited to join the artist at a reception following the performance.

A special pre-concert dinner will be offered at the new Argonne Guest House restaurant. Dinner hours from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. $21.75 per person. Reservations requested (739-6000).