Helen Byrne and Mateusz Wolski—one-half of the Spokane String Quartet—sat down in the KPBX studio with E.J. Iannelli ahead of their concert at The Bing Crosby Theater this Sunday.
Drawing allusions to cooking, painting, photography, film and even ninjas, the pair described the program of chamber works by French composers Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges (String Quartet Op. 1, No. 5 in G minor), Gabriel Fauré (String Quartet in E minor, Op. 121) and Maurice Ravel (String Quartet in F major).
Wolski and Byrne talked about the style of each of the pieces, their biographical or chronological context and some of the challenges or delights they hold. The Bologne, for example, was written for virtuoso violin.
And though Fauré was Ravel's teacher, the elder composer waited until the end of his life to complete his first and only string quartet. Ravel had debuted his own string quartet—also his first and only—some thirty years earlier, and it is now regarded as one of the most masterful works of the format.
The Spokane String Quartet holds the second concert of their current season on Sunday, November 19 at The Bing Crosby Theater in downtown Spokane.
Tickets and more information are available at the Spokane String Quartet website.
