Espressivo! Piano Quartet
Espressivo! Piano Quartet
About the Event
Anna Polonsky, piano
Jaime Laredo, violin
Milena Pájaro-van de Stadt, viola
Sharon Robinson, cello
Espressivo! Piano Quartet is a classical supergroup of four great artists with a passion for chamber music and remarkably expressive style, so what better name could there be for this new piano and string collective? In their Clarice Presents debut, Espressivo! will open with Mozart’s Piano Quartet in E-Flat Major, possibly the first work ever written for the quartet's orchestration. From a golden classic, they continue on to modernity with the 2024 commission Joy Steppin' by Nokuthula Ngwenyama, recipient of the Avery Fisher Career Grant. The evening closes with a true showstopper: Johannes Brahms' Piano Quartet No. 1 in G Minor, a high-spirited work that always brings the crowd to their feet with its whirling ending. Violinist Jaime Laredo and cellist Sharon Robinson are considered "chamber music royalty" (The Washington Post), an appellation that applies equally well to their stellar partners, violist Milena Pájaro-van de Stadt and award-winning pianist Anna Polonsky. The ensemble's goal is to capture the virtuosity, melodic wonder and emotional lift that they personally feel when they listen to this music, then to pass that elation along to the audience.
View Program Book
Program
W. A. Mozart: Piano Quartet in E-Flat Major
Nokuthula Ngwenyama: Joy Steppin’
Johannes Brahms: Piano Quartet No. 1 in G Minor
Post-Show Conversation
Join the artists from Espressivo! Piano Quartet for a Q&A immediately following the performance. The Q&A will be moderated by UMD School of Music Assistant Clinical Professor Anna Rose Nelson.
Funding
This event is presented with generous support from Steinway Piano Gallery Washington, DC (North Bethesda), which provides the D.C. metropolitan area's largest selection of fine quality pianos. Steinway Piano Gallery is the exclusive piano supplier to many of the area’s important performance venues and discerning pianists, and is committed to continuing its tradition of quality, selection, service and value to the D.C. metropolitan area. The event is also supported in part by the Maryland State Arts Council and the Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation.
