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Belcea Quartet, Israeli Chamber Project open Slee series

Belcea String Quartet.

The Belcea String Quartet opens the Department of Music's Slee Visiting Artist Series for 2021-22.

By PHILIP E. REHARD

Published October 18, 2021

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The Belcea String Quartet and The Israeli Chamber Project will visit UB this week for the first concerts in the Department of Music’s Slee Visiting Artist Series for 2021-22.

The series will open with a performance by the Belcea at 8 p.m. Oct. 19 in the Mary Seaton Room in Kleinhans Music Hall. The program features Mozart’s Quartet in F Major, K.590, Szymanowski’s Quartet No. 1 in C Major, Op. 37, and Schubert’s Quartet in D minor, D. 810 “Death and the Maiden.” The concert is co-sponsored by The Buffalo Chamber Music Society.

The quartet will move to UB the following day for a concert at 7:30 p.m. in Lippes Concert Hall in Slee Hall, North Campus. The program: Schubert’s Quartet in C minor, D. 703 “Quartettsatz,” Shostakovich’s Quartet #14 in F-sharp Major, Op. 142, and Brahms’ Quartet in C minor, Op. 51, No. 1.

The Israeli Chamber Project will close out the first session of concerts in the series with a performance at 7:30 p.m. on Friday in Lippes Concert Hall. The program, titled “From Creation to the End of Time,” features Debussy’s Syrinx, Darius Milhaud’s The Creation of the World, Op. 81B, and Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time.

Tickets for the Belcea’s performance at Kleinhans are $30 for the general public; students are admitted free of charge. Call the Buffalo Chamber Music Society at (716) 462-4939 to purchase tickets.

Tickets for the UB concerts are available through a variety of outlets at the following pricing structure:

UB faculty, staff, alumni, seniors and non-UB students

$10 plus $2.40 fee at www.ticketmaster.com (up to 90 minutes prior to concert time).

$14 in person at the Center for the Arts (noon to 6 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday).

$18 at the door (one hour before concert time).

UB students are admitted free with ID.

General public

$15 plus approximately $2.55 fee at www.ticketmaster.com (up to 90 minutes prior to concert time).

$19 in person at the Center for the Arts (noon to 6 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday).

$23 at the door (one hour before concert time).

Note that in addition to the individual transaction fee outlined above, TicketMaster also adds a $2order charge to every order, whether one ticket or multiple tickets are being purchased in that order.

All spectators at on-campus concerts must show proof of COVID-19 vaccination and wear masks inside Slee Hall. A vaccination card, a photo of a vaccination card, an Excelsior Pass or a digital vaccine card are all acceptable. Attendees should be prepared to show photo ID as well.

The Belcea String Quartet is known for its dynamic and free interpretative style. Founded at the Royal College of Music in London in 1994, the quartet is based in Great Britain. However, the two founding members — Romanian violinist Corina Belcea and Polish violist Krzysztof Chorzelski — bring a very different artistic provenance to the ensemble while drawing from the best traditions of string quartet playing received from the quartet’s mentors: the members of the Alban Berg and Amadeus quartets. This spectrum is extended by the French musicians Axel Schacher (violin) and Antoine Lederlin (violoncello). The Belcea Quartet blends its diverse influences into a common musical language.

Since the 2017-18 season, the Belcea Quartet has been the quartet artist-in-residence at the Pierre Boulez Saal Berlin, and has shared a residence at the Wiener Konzerthaus with the Artemis Quartet since 2010.

Now in its second decade, the Israeli Chamber Project is a dynamic ensemble comprising strings, winds, harp and piano that brings together some of today's most distinguished musicians for chamber music concerts, and educational and outreach programs both in Israel and abroad. It was named the winner of the 2011 Israeli Ministry of Culture Outstanding Ensemble Award and 2017 Partos Prize in recognition of its passionate musicianship, creative programming and commitment to educational outreach.

Based both in Israel and in New York, the ensemble was created as a means for its members to give something back to the communities in which they began their musical education, and to showcase Israeli culture to concertgoers overseas through its music and musicians. Among its members are prize-winners at the Tchaikovsky International Competition in Russia, the Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award, Avery Fisher Career Grant and the Gaspar Cassado Cello Competition.

Performing at UB will be Guy Eshed, flute; Tibi Cziger, clarinet; Carmit Zori, violin; Michal Korman, cello; and Assaff Weisman, piano.

For a complete listing of all concerts being presented by the Department of Music, visit the department’s website.