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The Emerson String Quartet, the nine-time Grammy Award and three-time Gramophone Award winner, will perform in Hong Kong in June. They will play Mozart's "String Quartet No. 19 in C, K465, Dissonance", Dvorˆhk's "String Quartet No. 12 in F, Op. 96, American" and Shostakovich's "String Quartet No. 9 in E-flat, Op.117".
Hailed by Time Magazine as "America's greatest quartet", the Emerson String Quartet is widely considered one of the world's foremost chamber ensembles with its brilliant artistry, technical mastery and insightful performances. Since its formation in 1976, the quartet has amassed a list of achievements: nine Grammy Awards (including two for Best Classical Album, an unprecedented honour for a chamber music group), three Gramophone Awards, and the coveted Avery Fisher Prize (another first for a chamber ensemble).
For over 32 years, the quartet has collaborated in concerts and on recordings with some of the greatest artists of our time. Over thirty acclaimed recordings have been produced covering a wide repertoire, including quartets by Haydn, Beethoven, Bartˆuk, Mendelssohn, Janˆhcek and Shostakovich. The quartet performs regularly in the world's major concert halls and festivals, with recitals that have included complete cycles of string quartets and many large-scale projects. The 2009-10 season alone comprises more than 90 worldwide engagements, with concerts in London's Southbank Centre and Wigmore Hall and performances in Prague and at the Edinburgh International Festival. North American engagements are highlighted by a three-concert series entitled "Adventures in Bohemia" at New York's Lincoln Center.
The quartet is based in New York City. Violinists Eugene Drucker and Philip Setzer alternate in the first chair position and are joined by violist Lawrence Dutton and cellist David Finckel.
Presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, "Encore Series: Emerson String Quartet" will be staged at 8pm on June 4 (Friday) at the Concert Hall, Hong Kong City Hall. Tickets priced at $120, $200, $260 and $320 are now available at URBTIX outlets. Senior citizens aged 60 or above, people with disabilities, full-time students and Comprehensive Social Security Assistance recipients are entitled to a 50% discount (Limited tickets for full-time students and CSSA recipients available on a first-come, first-served basis). A package discount applies to purchase with "Great Music" programmes including "Trey Lee & The Avanti! Chamber Orchestra (Finland)", "Joshua Bell & The Academy of St Martin in the Fields", "Piano Recital by Krystian Zimerman" and "Piano Recital by Piotr Anderszewski (Poland)". A group booking discount up to 20% is also available. For more details, please check the programme leaflet.
For programme enquiries, call 2268 7321; for ticketing enquiries and reservations, call 2734 9009; for credit card telephone booking, call 2111 5999; for Internet booking, visit www.urbtix.hk ; for more information, visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/cp .
A free pre-concert talk in Cantonese by Dr Gilbert Sak will be held at 7.30pm on May 20 (Thursday) at AC2, 4/F Administration Building, Hong Kong Cultural Centre. Interested parties are welcome to attend on a first-come, first-served basis.
Ends/Monday, May 3, 2010
Issued at HKT 10:01
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