SALT LAKE CITY — The NOVA Chamber Music Series returns to the Utah Museum of Fine Arts for the first Gallery Series concert of the 2017-18 season. The Fry Street Quartet performs Concert #3 in their thrilling four-concert cycle of the complete Bartók and Haydn opus 76 string quartets.
NOVA performed at UMFA for many years before moving the Subscription Series to Libby Gardner Hall in 2009 to accommodate larger audiences. The Gallery Series events with the Fry Street Quartet this season will be held in the magnificent G. W. Anderson Family Great Hall at UMFA.
“We’re thrilled to have the NOVA Gallery Series performing once again in the UMFA galleries, bringing live music into conversation with visual works of art. We love engaging visitors through many different senses, and NOVA, an innovative and exceptional program, is an ideal partner.”
The October 8th concert features two of Haydn’s masterpieces in the string quartet genre, the stirring opus 76 No. 2 Quartet in D Minor, as well as opus 76 No. 4 in B-flat Major, nicknamed “Sunrise” for the beautiful rising melody heard in the opening bars of the piece.
Also heard on this program is Bartók’s First String Quartet. A dazzling work of energetic rhythms and heart-wrenching melodies, Bartók’s first essay in the string quartet genre is an unqualified masterpiece.
Members of the quartet will guide the listener through each of these exciting works with a short and engaging discussion before each piece.
"There is something very special about bringing people together to hear music in the context of having great visual art in the room," Waters said. "Art galleries are generally smaller than concert halls, so the experience is more intimate, so what sometimes feels like an invisible wall between the audience and the stage gets broken down in a lovely way.”
NOVA’s Gallery Series consists of two programs each year, with each performance juxtaposing old and new music performed by outstanding Utah musicians.
Sunday October 8, 3 PM
Utah Museum of Fine Arts
Marcia and John Price Museum Building
410 Campus Center Drive
Salt Lake City, UT 84112-0350
$25 general admission (includes reception and admission to UMFA on 10/8), students free. For more information, please visit novaslc.org or email info@novaslc.org.