The Lark Dances

8000 Saint Martins Lane,Philadelphia PA 19118

14 May, 2022

Description

The Fairmount String Quartet celebrates the joy and romance of spring with works by Philadelphia composer Ellen Fishman, Mozart, and Brahms. The whimsical "Lark Dances", inspired by Haydn's String Quartet, Op. 64, #5, "The Lark", was commissioned as an electronic work by the Jeanne Ruddy Dance Company in 2009. Ellen returned to the work during the Covid lockdown of 2020-21 and created this delightful version for string quartet. The Fairmount String Quartet premiered two movements of the work in June of 2021 and will perform the complete work on this concert. Mozart's String Quartet in G, K. 387, subtitled "Spring" is a light and joyful work, the first of six string quartets dedicated to Haydn. Upon hearing it, Haydn remarked to Mozart's father “Before God and as an honest man, I tell you that your son is the greatest composer known to me either in person or by name. He has taste and, what is more, the most profound knowledge of composition.” Brahms' String Quartet in a minor, Op. 51, #2 musically encodes his dear friend's personal motto "free but lonely" along with Brahms' motto of "free but happy" into the themes of this work. Written while he was on summer vacation, this romantic quartet beautifully expresses all of these things.