Saturday, November 4, 2023

7:30 PM

St. Andrew’s River Heights United Church

Pizzicato Landscapes

NEW ORFORD STRING QUARTET: ANDREW WAN & JONATHAN CROW, violins; SHARON WEI, viola; BRIAN MANKER, cello

Four musicians with equally stellar pedigrees form the New Orford String Quartet. The result is an ensemble that maintains a remarkably fresh perspective while bringing a palpable sense of joy to each performance, described by the Toronto Star as “nothing short of electrifying.” This captivating program showcases the diverse ways in which the pizzicato technique of plucking the strings shapes the expressive landscapes of string quartet music as demonstrated by Caroline Shaw’s Blueprint, Ana Sokolovic's Commedia delle'arte, Ludwig van Beethoven’s Harp quartet, and Maurice Ravel’s String Quartet in F major. Throughout this program, pizzicato serves as a powerful tool for creating unique sonic dimensions in the string quartet repertoire of the past and present.