Listen to theCypress String Quartet
"Love, Admiration, and Respect"
The performers, like the music, were on fire…
– San Francisco Classical Voice
May 18th, 8:00pm
Occidental Center for the Arts
Redwood Arts Council brings a program reflecting love, admiration, and respect performed by the Cypress String Quartet on Saturday May 18th at 8pm at the Occidental Center for the Arts. Known for its elegant performances, the Cypress String Quartet (Cecily Ward, violin; Tom Stone, violin; Ethan Filner, viola; and Jennifer Kloetzel, cello) has been praised by Gramophone for its "artistry of uncommon insight and cohesion," and its sound has been called "beautifully proportioned and powerful" by The Washington Post. The Cypress String Quartet will perform Dvorak's "Cypresses" for String Quartet, Mozart's String Quartet K. 465, "Dissonance," and Beethoven's Opus 59. No. 3. One quartet written for love, one for admiration, and one out of respect.
The Cypress Quartet was formed in San Francisco in 1996, and during its initial rehearsals the group created a signature sound through intense readings of J.S. Bach's Chorales. Built up from the bottom register of the quartet and layered like a pyramid, the resulting sound is clear and transparent, allowing the texture of the music to be discerned immediately.
The Cypress continues to maintain a busy national and international tour schedule, making appearances on concert series and in venues including Cal Performances, Kennedy Center, Library of Congress, Stanford Lively Arts, Krannert Center and Ravinia Festival.
Through its signature Call & Response program the Cypress Quartet commissions and premieres new string quartets from both emerging and celebrated composers, asking them to write in response to established chamber repertoire. To date, the Cypress Quartet has commissioned and premiered over 30 pieces, four of which were chosen for Chamber Music America's list of "101 Great American Ensemble Works."