2019 Summer Concert #3: A Day in the Life of Newburyport

The Ravel Duo is a virtuosic dialogue between two siblings, one smaller and higher, the other deep and sonorous.  Sometimes in harmony, sometimes in competition, the piece is alternatingly suave, playful, jazzy, and contemplative, yet always somehow so French.

Contrasting with the urbane sophistication of Ravel, Bartók’s fourth string quartet seems to spring directly from the rough soil of the Hungarian countryside: rocks, roots, bugs, and all. The five movements are written in mirror image with the quartet anchored at the core by the enigmatic middle movement that came to define what we call “Night Music.”

This concert also features the much-anticipated world premiere of Robert Bradshaw’s string quartet “A Day in the Life of Newburyport.” A collaborative effort that also includes eight paintings by members of the Newburyport Art Association along with new poems by poets Rhina P. Espaillat and Alfred Nicol.  The eight movements, working with the eight paintings and poems, correspond to eight iconic locations throughout Newburyport.