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News Release
| 7/23/07 - New Frontiers of Modern Music: Quartet for the End of Time |
Steamboat Springs, CO – On Monday, July 30, 2007 at 8:00 p.m. Strings in the Mountains presents a rare and beautiful glimpse into the life of French composer Oliver Messiaen, featuring one of his finest works, Quartet for the End of Time.
The piece is a mystical and musical journey in eight movements with intricate thematic and theological relationships. Written while the composer was imprisoned in a German concentration camp in World War II, Messiaen took inspiration from the description of the Apocalypse in the Book of Revelation. Composed for four instruments chosen simply because of the availability inside the camp, the Quartet was first performed by camp inmates before an audience of fellow prisoners and their guards. Despite these conditions, this piece embodies the composer's personal philosophy of hope for world redemption.
Neither Messiaen's circumstances nor the premiere of his work were directly related to the atrocities of the Holocaust. However, the Quartet for the End of Time has come to represent the indomitable spirit of countless millions who suffered and perished in one of the most horrific ordeals in the history of mankind.
Mark Nuccio, clarinet , Andres Cardenes, violin , Anne Martindale Williams, cello and David Deveau, piano perform Quartet for the End of Time at 8:00 p.m.
The concert opens with a multimedia presentation on artwork related to the Holocaust, an informal conversation with the musicians about the Quartet, and a demonstration of excerpts from the work. Tickets are $23.00.
Tickets are currently on sale at the Strings Box Office located at 900 Strings Road, (970) 879-5056 x. 105, or by visiting www.stringsinthemountains.com .
Strings in the Mountains Music Festival presents diverse programming of fine music with a focus on chamber music, in a friendly and intimate setting, fostering an appreciation for music and stimulating the cultural, educational and economic environment of the community. |
| URL: www.stringsinthemountains.com |
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