Rimsky-Korsakov String Quartet Concert

The Rimsky-Korsakov String Quartet makes a special return to Newburyport for a performance exploring the music of fin-de-siecle Russia and France, as its only public concert in Massachusetts on its latest US tour. The program features Claude Debussy’s String Quartet in G Minor, Op 10 (1893); Aleksandr Glazunov’s Five Novelettes, Op. 15 (1894) and Sergey Rachmaninov’s Unfinished Quartet No. 1 (1890).

Based in St. Petersburg, Russia, the Rimsky-Korsakov String Quartet was originally formed in 1939 and remains a monument of Russian musical history. The present members, Mikhail Bondarev (violin), Ekaterina Belisova (violin), Alexei Popov (viola), Anton Andreev (cello) are all graduates of the St. Petersburg Conservatory, steeped in the grand tradition of Russian music making. They achieve a powerful romantic sound and inspired interpretations of a diverse repertoire of European masterworks, Russian classics, and contemporary composers, which they regularly perform on tour and at major festivals throughout Europe.

The Quartet’s performances on the East Coast are organized by the Ballets Russes Arts Initiative, a non-profit organization that fosters international exchange in the visual and performing arts in the tradition of Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes. BRAI is again partnering with St. Paul’s Church to present the November 1st concert by this masterful ensemble.

The previous performance of the Quartet in Newburyport was sold out, so purchase tickets now! A reception will follow the performance.