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By SUE WUETCHER

Published: February 24, 2011

UB’s annual Slee/Beethoven String Quartet Cycle gets into full swing next month with four concerts taking place featuring renowned string quartets, each hailing from a distinct international city.

Performing the third through sixth concerts of the six-concert cycle will be the Ysaÿe Quartet of Paris on March 4, the Leipzig String Quartet of Leipzig, Germany, on March 7, the Vogler Quartet of Berlin on March 22 and the Henschel Quartet of Munich on April 1.

Performing the first two concerts in the cycle last semester were the Borealis String Quartet of Vancouver, British Columbia, and the Talich Quartet of Prague.

The Department of Music’s “Beethoven theme” for March also includes an all-Beethoven recital by three UB faculty members. The concert, featuring cellist Jonathan Golove, pianist Eric Huebner, and clarinetist Jean Kopperud, will be held on March 1.

All concerts will take place at 7:30 p.m. in Lippes Concert Hall in Slee Hall, North Campus.

The March 1 faculty recital will be preceded by a private reception at 6 p.m. in the Slee lobby sponsored by the UB Alumni Association. The reception will feature an open bar, light hors d’oeuvres and welcoming remarks by Golove. Tickets for the pre-concert reception and concert package are $11 for one ticket or $20 for a pair of tickets for dues-paying members of the alumni association and $13 for one ticket or $25 for pair of tickets for non-members. They can be purchased from the UB Alumni Association. Space is limited.

Tickets for the concert only are $10 for general admission; $5 for UB faculty/staff/alumni, senior citizens and non-UB students, and free for UB students with ID.

The Beethoven String Quartet Cycle will continue on March 4 with a performance of the third concert of the cycle by the Ysaÿe Quartet. The ensemble—Guillaume Sutre and Luc-Marie Aguera (violins), Miguel da Silva (viola) and Yovan Markovitch (cello)—will present Beethoven’s Quartet in D Major, Op. 18 No. 3; “Grosse Fuge,” Op. 133; and Quartet in F Major, Op. 59, No. 1.

Named after the great Belgian violinist, composer and quartet player Eugène Ysaÿe, the Ysaÿe Quartet, was founded in 1984 and rapidly achieved recognition as one of the leading ensembles of its generation. Its members, all from France, studied with Walter Levin of the LaSalle Quartet and with the Amadeus Quartet in Cologne. In 1988, it won first prize in the International String Quartet Competition in Evian, becoming the first French group to do so.

The group has performed worldwide, from London, Rome and Riga to Washington, Tel Aviv and Tokyo. Since 1993, members have devoted time to teaching, conducting string quartet classes at the Paris Conservatoire and the University of Southern California, among others.

Concert four of the cycle will be presented by the Leipzig String Quartet on March 7. The quartet, comprised of Stefan Arzberger and Tilman Büning (violins), Ivo Bauer (viola) and Matthias Moosdorf (cello), will perform Beethoven’s Quartet in F Minor, Op. 95 (“Serioso”); Quartet in B-flat Major, Op. 18, No.6; and Quartet in A minor, Op. 132.

Since its founding two decades ago, the Leipzig String Quartet has attracted the attention of international critics and audiences with its distinctive dark timbre and meticulous interpretations of a widely varied repertoire. Formed originally by the string principals of the renowned Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, the quartet continues to uphold the principles of sound and integrity ascribed to this great orchestra. Called “one of the towering and most versatile quartets of our time” by the Neue Zuercher Zeitung and praised by The New York Times for presenting “rich, mellow, unadulterated beauty” and a true “Leipzig sound,” the quartet is considered one of the world’s great chamber ensembles.

Concert five, performed by the Vogler String quartet, will take place on March 22. The ensemble will present Beethoven’s Quartet in A Major, Op. 18 No. 5 and Quartet in B-flat Major, Op. 130.

Celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2010-11, the Vogler—featuring Tim Vogler and Frank Reinecke (violins), Stefan Fehlandt (viola) and Stephan Forck (cello)—long has been recognized as one of the world’s leading chamber groups. Its extensive repertoire embraces “standard” works from Haydn to Bartók and the Second Viennese School and lesser-known pieces, such as the quartets of Karl Amadeus Hartmann and the Second Quartet by Morton Feldman, as well as music by such living composers as Wolfgang Rihm. The Vogler has given world premieres of quartets by such notable composers as Frank Michael Beyer, Ian Wilson, Jörg Widmann, Mauricio Kagel and Erhard Grosskopf.

Concluding the cycle on April 1 will be the Henschel Quartet, performing Beethoven’s Quartet in C Major, Op. 18, No. 4; Quartet in F Major, Op. 135; and Quartet in E Minor, Op. 59, No. 2.

The quartet also will conduct a master’s class at 10 a.m. April 2 in Baird Recital Hall, 250 Baird Hall, North Campus. The class is free and open to the public.

The Henschel Quartet—featuring siblings Christoph, Markus (both violins)and Monika Henschel (viola), and Mathias Beyer-Karlshøj (cello)—this season is touring the U.S., China, Japan, Germany, Italy, Spain, Scandinavia, the Netherlands and England.

Last March, members performed for the first time for Pope Benedict XVI in the Vatican.

In addition to performing, the quartet also teaches at major conservatories and universities.

Advanced tickets for all concerts in the Beethoven String Quartet Cycle are $12 for general admission; $9 for UB faculty/staff/alumni and senior citizens; and $5 for students. At the door, tickets are $20, $15 and $8.

Tickets may be purchased at the Slee Hall box office, the Center for the Arts box office and at all Ticketmaster outlets, including Ticketmaster.com.