Escher String Quartet

The Escher String Quartet plays the Conrad Prebys Concert Hall at the UC San Diego Department of Music on Thursday, October 15, at 7:30 PM. The program brings together three 20th-century quartets: Prokofiev's Quartet No. 2 in F Major, Op. 92, Shostakovich's Quartet No. 3 in F Major, Op. 73, and Britten's Quartet No. 2 in C Major, Op. 36. It's a heavy bill of Russian and British modernism, with the Prokofiev and Shostakovich both in F major.

Based in New York City, the quartet has built its reputation on expressive, nuanced performances that pair textural clarity with a rich, blended sound. They're a former BBC New Generation Artist and have played the BBC Proms at Cadogan Hall, they're a regular guest at Wigmore Hall, and they serve as Season Artists of The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. The Emerson String Quartet championed them early on, and Pinchas Zukerman and Itzhak Perlman invited them to be Quartet in Residence at their summer festivals. In 2013, they became one of the few chamber ensembles awarded the Avery Fisher Career Grant.

They take their name from the Dutch graphic artist M.C. Escher, whose work inspired their idea of individual components playing together to form a whole. The current lineup is Brendan Speltz on violin, Adam Barnett-Hart on violin, Pierre Lapointe on viola, and Brook Speltz on cello.

Tickets are $53 to $68, and UCSD students can get free tickets through SSO. The concert starts at 7:30 PM on Thursday, October 15, at the Conrad Prebys Concert Hall.