In celebration of some of the prescient quartet commissions of the genre’s history, the BPQ has a mission to find and perform the great music of the future. On tour in North America in 1930, Prokofiev received a commission for a string quartet from the Library of Congress, in part to ensure the composer an opportunity to make his mark in the world of string quartets. In response to the commission, Prokofiev began intensely studying the quartets of Beethoven. What resulted was a dynamic quartet that exhibited Prokofiev’s familiar angular wit as well as a lyricism beyond what one might typically expect of his style. Heightened lyricism can also be found at the heart of Beethoven’s Op. 127 quartet. This quartet, along with Op. 130 and Op. 132, was commissioned by Prince Nicholas von Galitzin for his ensemble in St. Petersburg. With this tradition in mind, the BPQ strives to encourage and propel the new music of today to become the exalted music of tomorrow.

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Works to be performed on the “Inspiration” program include:

Commissioned Work — TBA
Prokofiev, String Quartet No. 1
Beethoven, String Quartet Op. 127

Program offered January through May, 2013.