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•January 8, 2020•
On Tuesday, February 4, 2020 at 7:30pm, the Jupiter String Quartet, quartet-in-residence at the University of Illinois, presents its winter recital in Foellinger Great Hall (500 S. Goodwin Ave). This season, the Jupiter Quartet celebrates of Beethoven’s 250th birthday year by pairing one of his quartets with some of the great composers who surrounded him over the last 250 years. For this program, the Jupiter Quartet joins Beethoven with works by Mendelssohn and Shostakovich.
Shostakovich’s String Quartet No. 11 in F minor, Op. 122 is a profound and somber work, written in memory of a close colleague, the second violinist of the Beethoven Quartet. Its stark textures and solemn mood are relieved by the joy that pervades the rest of the program, which includes Beethoven’s intricate “Harp” Quartet No. 10 in E-flat major, Op. 74, and Mendelssohn’s brilliant String Quartet in D Major, Op. 44 No. 1.
The Jupiter String Quartet is a particularly intimate group, consisting of violinists Nelson Lee and Meg Freivogel, violist Liz Freivogel (Meg’s older sister), and cellist Daniel McDonough (Meg’s husband, Liz’s brother-in-law). Now enjoying their 17th year together, this tight-knit ensemble is firmly established as an important voice in the world of chamber music. The New Yorker claims, “The Jupiter String Quartet, an ensemble of eloquent intensity, has matured into one of the mainstays of the American chamber-music scene.”     Login or Subscribe to read the rest of this story.