KAIA String Quartet
Mexican Modernist Music for String Quartet
Details
Sunday, November 17
The Art Institute of Chicago, Fullerton Hall
Free Concert (With Admission to the Museum)
CONCERT: 2:00PM
Synopsis, Program & Biography
Synopsis:
Explore the rich and colorful music of Mexico with the KAIA String Quartet. The Chicago-based all-female ensemble performs compositions by mid-century and contemporary Mexican composers, on the occasion of the exhibition In a Cloud, in a Wall, in a Chair: Six Modernists in Mexico at Midcentury. Selections include Metro Chabacano by Javier Álvarez, String Quartet No. 1 by Carlos Chávez, String Quartet No. 2 “Los Magueyes” by Silvestre Revueltas, and Cuarteto Virreinal by Miguel Bernal Jiménez.
Program:
Mexican Modernist Music for String Quartet
JAVIER ÁLVAREZ (b. 1956)
Metro Chabacano
SILVESTRE REVUELTAS (1899 – 1940)
String Quartet No. 2, “Magueyes”
I. Allegro giocoso
II. Molto vivace
III. Allegro molto sostenuto
CARLOS CHÁVEZ (1899 – 1978)
Cuarteto de Arcos I
I. Allegro
II. Adagio
III. Vivo
- Sostenuto
MIGUEL BERNAL JIMÉNEZ (1910 – 1956)
Cuarteto Virreinal
I. Allegro
II. Zarabanda con variaciones
III. Minué
IV. Mosso e spigliatto
Biography:
From the tango of the Rio de la Plata to the string quartets of Silvestre Revueltas, the KAIA String Quartet is an ensemble devoted to exposing audiences to the rich and colorful music of Latin America. Active performers in both the US and abroad, highlights of the 2019-2020 season include a residency at the Avaloch Farm Institute, a tour of Argentina and Uruguay, as well as performances at concert series in North Carolina, Virginia, and Wisconsin. Celebrated for its ability to “beautifully blur the lines between jazz, classical, Latin and world music” KAIA’s recent album collaboration with Fareed Haque was chosen by the Chicago Tribune as one of the top ten classical musical recordings of 2018. Their latest album, Sureño, explores the music and relationship of composers Astor Piazzolla and José Bragato. KAIA is currently in residence at DePaul University’s Community Music Division.