Escher Plays Bartok

Widely considered the most influential quartet cycle after Beethoven’s, Bartók’s collection of six string quartets is a landmark artistic achievement. The rare opportunity offered here—to experience the full quartet cycle performed over the course of one evening—gives listeners a unique insight into Bartók’s creative development as he revolutionized the string quartet genre and moved from composing in the late-Romantic style to pioneering modernism. The Escher String Quartet, praised by The New York Times for their “penetrating intelligence” and “gorgeous tonal sheen,” plays the six quartets in order, with two intermissions. 

BARTÓK

String Quartet No. 1, Sz. 40

String Quartet No. 2, Sz. 67

String Quartet No. 3, Sz. 85

String Quartet No. 4, Sz. 91

String Quartet No. 5, Sz. 102

String Quartet No. 6, Sz. 114