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Press release
QUARTET ES OG NORÐURLJÓSAKVARTETTARNIR
QUARTET ES PERFORMS THE MUSIC OF ÁRNI EGILSSON, JOSEPH HAYDN AND ELENA RUEHR
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Iceland and U.S. based QuartetES, in concert on Friday 1 March 2024 at 19:30. The concert will be held at Harpa Concert Hall’s Kaldalon and tickets are 3500 kr general, 2000 kr seniors and students. TICKET LINK: https://www.harpa.is/quartet-es-og-nordurljosakvartettarnir
Iceland and US-based QuartetES brings 2 more premieres to the stage of Harpa,: Quartet No. 10 “Long Pond,” and Quartet No. 11 “Long Night,” composed by American composer Elena Ruehr. Also on the program: a quartet by Árni Egilsson "A Touch of Armadillo" and the Quartet Op. 20 No. 4 "Sun" of Joseph Haydn.
With work described as "sumptuously scored and full of soaring melodies" (New York Times), Elena Ruehr is known for her lyrically and rhythmically vibrant music. She wrote her last three quartets, No. 9 "Keweenaw," No. 10 "Long Pond" and No. 11, "Long Night" for Quartet ES. Each of the quartets is based on an iconic Northern location, and will be recorded in Iceland as well. Quartet No. 11 was written about the long nights in Reykjavik, despite the composer's never having been in Iceland. She will be attending the premiere and looks forward to seeing if her imagined soundscape fits the reality.
QuartetES is comprised of violinists Anton Miller (Iceland) and Ertan Torgul (US), violist Rita Porfiris (Iceland) and cellist Jennifer Kloetzel (US). Made up of established musicians from two different groups who reunited after a long separation, QuartetES brings a diverse and engaging presence to the concert stage. They made their debut international performance at Harpa Concert Hall in 2018. In 2019 they were in residence at the Harpa International Music Academy as well as New Music for Strings in Reykjavik. In 2021 they embarked on an ambitious project for The Uncertainty of Fate Festival: they commissioned 18 pieces by established as well as emerging composers, which they recorded over 4 days during the pandemic. This season saw them record and perform Robert Carl's Quartet No. 3 in September at Harpa, and sold out concerts in Oregon and San Francisco on their January tour.
"...beautiful, the interpretation was stylish and powerful...the quartet are excellent instrumentalists." -Fréttabla∂i∂, August 2018
"Verkið var feikivel leikið frá byrjun til enda ... Það eru einlæg tilmæli gagnrýnanda til tónlistarunnenda að láta ekki næstu tónleika kvartettsins framhjá sér fara, sem vonandi verða fyrr en síðar." -Heimildin, September 2023