The members of the Spokane String Quartet—violinists Mateusz Wolski and Amanda Howard-Phillips, violist Jeannette Wee-Yang and cellist Helen Byrne—entered the SPR performance space to play two live selections from their upcoming spring concert.
Afterwards, they joined E.J. Iannelli in the KPBX studio to offer more detail on the concert's program and their reasons for choosing certain pieces.
First on the program is Caroline Shaw's "Blueprint," a 2016 work that draws playful inspiration from Beethoven's String Quartet No. 6, Op. 18. That's followed by Philip Glass' String Quartet No. 5, which has a more traditional feel than some of the minimalist composer's signature works.
The concert will conclude with Max Bruch's String Quartet No.1 in C minor, one of only two string quartets by the Late Romantic composer. The quartet is less widely known than Bruch's orchestral works, and Howard-Phillips explained how she first came across it.
The Spokane String Quartet performs this Sunday, March 19, at The Bing Crosby Theater in downtown Spokane. Tickets and more information are available at the websites linked above or via TicketsWest.
Please note that this on-demand audio has been edited slightly to include the SSQ's performance of the Glass selection at the end of the interview. It originally immediately followed the Bruch adagio.
