Moscow String Quartet coming to Moravian College

Tomorrow night, Friday September 30, the Chamber Music Society of Bethlehem is bringing us a world renowned string quartet, the Moscow String Quartet, to play in Foy Hall at 8 p.m.

Now tickets for this event, for an adult, will cost $30. For students, the cost is $5. That's a pretty good bargain for students, I think. But you know what's even better?

The cost for Moravian students is $0.

All Moravian students get in for free at concerts held at the college, and for the most part, they take advantage of this opportunity.

But talking to a fellow student the other day, it has come to my attention that for some reason, the concerts held by the Chamber Music Society of Bethlehem tend to be overlooked by many of the students. A good number of them pass by this opportunity to hear these great musicians.

Maybe they think that string quartet music is too "stuffy" for their tastes? Or maybe it's the larger number of adults and senior citizens that attend, making them think this music is not for them.

I am here to tell everyone, that it is definitely worth going to see this group. The members of this group are graduates of the Moscow Conservatory and the Gnessin Musical Institute in Moscow. They've traveled all over Europe, and have that European air about them.

They've performed in places such as Amsterdam, London, Brussels, and Berlin.

They've worked closely with one of the composers, Sofia Gubaidulina, who is very pleased and amazed with their reverence to her work. At this weekend's concert, they will be playing her piece "Gubaidulina String Quartet No. 3." It should be interesting to hear this piece played by a group who worked so closely with the composer herself!

Other pieces that they will be playing are the Mozart String Quartet No. 21 in D Major, K. 575, and the Shostakovich String Quartet No. 2 in A Major Op. 68 (1944).


I know I'm excited to go see them, and I would hope to see some of you there!