Belcea Quartet to make rare appearance in Buffalo

The Department of Music is joining with the Buffalo Chamber Music Society to present two concerts with the acclaimed Belcea Quartet as part of UB’s Slee Visiting Artist Series.

The concerts will take place at 8 p.m. Oct. 16 in the Mary Seaton Room of Kleinhans Music Hall, and at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 17 in Lippes Concert Hall in Slee Hall on the UB North Campus.

The program on Oct. 16 will feature Haydn’s String Quartet in G Major, Op. 33, No.5 (“How do you do?”); Janacek’s String Quartet No. 2 (“Intimate Letters”); and Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 13 in B-flat Major, Op. 130 (with the Grosse Fuge)

On Oct. 17, the quartet will present Mozart’s String Quartet No. 22 in B-flat Major, K. 589; Bartók’s String Quartet No. 6, Sz. 114; and Mendelssohn’s String Quartet No. 6 in F minor, Op. 80.

This month’s back-to-back concerts mark a rare U.S. appearance by the Belcea — Corina Belcea and Axel Schacher, violins; Krzysztof Chorzelski, viola; and Antoine Lederlin, cello. The group was founded at the Royal College of Music in London in 1994. Although the quartet is based in Great Britain, founding members Belcea, born in Romania, and Chorzelski, from Poland, bring a very different artistic provenance to the ensemble while drawing from the best traditions of string quartet playing inspired by the quartet’s mentors: the members of the Alban Berg and Amadeus quartets.

This diversity is reflected in the Belcea’s repertoire. Regular world premieres go hand in hand with a profound connection with the great works of the classical and romantic periods. The quartet’s open-minded approach to music enables it to bring its own unique, elegant and refined interpretations to the main string quartet repertoire.

Buffalo is one of a select number of U.S. stops the group is making on its current tour, along with Carnegie Hall in New York and the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society.

Tickets for the Oct. 16 concert at Kleinhans are $30 for the general public and free for students, and can be purchased by calling the Buffalo Chamber Music Society at (716) 462-4939, or at the door.

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

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

$10 plus $2 fee online at www.ticketfly.com

$10 plus $4 fee by phone at 877-987-6487 (Ticketfly)

$14 in person at the Center for the Arts (noon to 6 p.m., Tuesday through Friday)

$17 in person at the door (one hour before concert time)

General public

$15 plus $2 fee online at www.ticketfly.com

$15 plus $4 fee by phone at 877-987-6487 (Ticketfly)

$19 in person at the Center for the Arts (noon to 6 p.m., Tuesday through Friday)

$22 in person at the door (one hour before concert time)

UB students are admitted free with ID.

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