
Smetana’s lush string quartet, “From My Life,” was written as an intimate confession, a tonal biography of his life, his loves, and in response to his subsequent deafness. Together with Sibelius’ evocative En Saga (Legend), Shostakovich’s explosive String Quartet No. 8, and Schubert’s “Storm of Life” for piano-duet, these deeply intimate musical self-portraits detail the inner lives of those who composed them.
SIBELIUS
En Saga, Op. 9 (reconstructed for octet by Jaako Kuusisto)
SHOSTAKOVICH
String Quartet No. 8 in C Minor, Op. 110
I N T E R M I S S I O N
SCHUBERT
Allegro in A Minor for Piano Four-Hands, D.947 (“Lebensstürme”)
SMETANA
String Quartet No. 1 in E Minor “From My Life”
Featured Artists

Attacca Quartet
ensemble
Attacca Quartet

Brad Balliett
bassoon
Brad Balliett

Efe Baltacigil
cello
Efe Baltacigil

Inon Barnatan
piano
Inon Barnatan
“One of the most admired pianists of his generation” (New York Times), Inon Barnatan has received universal acclaim for his “uncommon sensitivity” (The New Yorker), “impeccable musicality and phrasing” (Le Figaro), and his stature as “a true poet of the keyboard: refined, searching, unfailingly communicative” (The Evening Standard). A multifaceted musician, Barnatan is equally celebrated as soloist, curator and collaborator.
Born in Tel Aviv in 1979, Inon Barnatan started playing the piano at the age of three after his parents discovered he had perfect pitch, and made his orchestral debut at age 11. His musical education connects him to some of the 20th century’s most illustrious pianists and teachers: he studied first with Professor Victor Derevianko, who, himself, studied with the Russian master Heinrich Neuhaus; and in 1997 he moved to London to study at the Royal Academy of Music with Maria Curcio—a student of the legendary Artur Schnabel—and with Christopher Elton. Today Barnatan performs at all the great halls of the world, collaborating and recording with the top chamber and classical conductors, orchestras, and musicians.

Benjamin Beilman
violin
Benjamin Beilman

Timothy Cobb
bass
Timothy Cobb

Tessa Lark
violin
Tessa Lark

Anthony McGill
clarinet
Anthony McGill

Blake Pouliot
violin
Blake Pouliot

Roman Rabinovich
piano
Roman Rabinovich

Masumi Per Rostad
viola