January 18, 2007
Norway’s Vertavo String Quartet to perform in Meany on Jan. 24
The UW International Chamber Music Series will present the internationally acclaimed Vertavo String Quartet in concert at 8 p.m. Jan. 24, in Meany Hall. The concert is part of the UW World Series.
Seen as a national treasure of its native Norway, the Vertavo String Quartet was formed in 1984 and first captured international attention when it won three awards in 1995 and 1996, including First Prize at the Second Melbourne International Chamber Music Competition. This season, the quartet will make its debut in the prestigious venues of Vienna’s Musikverein and New York’s Weill Recital Hall. The quartet has also performed in London, Paris, Geneva, Vevey, Bolzano, Alicante and Hamburg. And in the U.S., the quartet has toured both coasts.
The Quartet’s discography includes recordings of Nielsen, Schumann, Brahms, Grieg and Debussy, all for the SIMAX Classics label, as well as the Mozart and Brahms clarinet quintets with Martin Fröst for BIS Records. Gramophone magazine called the quartet offers “captivating performances which get right to the heart of these intensely emotional works. Not to be missed.” The quartet’s recording of the complete Bartók Quartets, released in November 2001, was recognised by the BBC Music Magazine as its “Recording of the Month” in May 2002. The group’s next disc is of compositions by Niels Asheim written for the Vertavo.
Tickets are $32 and may be purchased in person at the UW Arts Ticket Office, by phone at 206-543-4880, and online at www.uwworldseries.org.
