5BMF and The Noguchi Museum Present the Argus Quartet in NOISE/SILENCE, Out Now

Five Boroughs Music Festival and The Noguchi Museum co-present the daring and innovative Argus Quartet in a digital world premiere concert, noise/SILENCE. Part of Five Boroughs Music Festival's 2020-2021 digital mainstage season, noise/SILENCE is co-produced by the Argus Quartet and was filmed on-site at the Queens-based Noguchi Museum in early April 2021.

The program explores the symbiosis of silence and sound through music inspired by and in response to the art of Isamu Noguchi, the iconic 20th century sculptor. Noguchi's sculptures, on display at his eponymous museum, provide a stunning backdrop to the Argus Quartet's performances of works by John Cage, Rolf Wallin, Dorothy Rudd Moore, and Paul Wiancko, who joins the quartet as a guest performer for his piece, Vox Petra.

The Argus Quartet says, "The language we use to describe sound is rich with metaphor: both noise and silence can be deafening, we speak of both 'brain chatter' and a 'quiet mind,' noise can be 'white' or 'static.' It's been said that 'silence is the sharper sword.' To humans, noise and silence can both empower and oppress us - from the cheering of a crowd to something left unsaid by a loved one, from chirping birds to an incessant alarm. John Cage - whose 4'33'' famously explores the power of silence - aimed in his String Quartet in Four Parts to write a work that praised silence without actually using it. He described the piece 'like the opening of another door; the possibilities implied are unlimited.' This program explores the endless possibilities from silence to sound, emptiness to saturation, a drop in the ocean to the ocean itself."

Program Information

noise/SILENCE Featuring the Argus Quartet (Digital World Premiere)
Presented by Five Boroughs Music Festival and The Noguchi Museum
Watch for Free on the 5BMF YouTube Channel
Learn More: https://5bmf.org/events/noise-silence

Program:
Rolf Wallin (b. 1957) - "Momentum" and "Á Propos" from Curiosity Cabinet

John Cage (1912-1992) - String Quartet in Four Parts
I. Quietly Flowing Along
II. Slowly Rocking
III. Nearly Stationary
IV. Quodlibet

Dorothy Rudd Moore (b. 1940) - Modes for String Quartet

Paul Wiancko (b. 1983) - Vox Petra

Rolf Wallin (b. 1957) - "Barcarole 2" and "¡Arriba!" from Curiosity Cabinet

Videography and Editing: Amy Zhang, Xuan Films
Sound Engineering: Peter Karl
Producers: Five Boroughs Music Festival, The Noguchi Museum, The Argus Quartet