Calder Quartet with David Longstreth, Bartók Quartet Cycle Set for Met on November 1

The six string quartets of Béla Bartók, composed between 1908 and 1939, are a towering oeuvre of 20th-century chamber music. In this series, the young California-based Calder Quartet, called "superb" by The New York Times and "formidable" by The New Yorker, perform the quartets in three concerts along with music focusing on Bartók's deep debt to the human voice, with the help of two special guest artists.

For this program featuring the Bartók Quartets Nos. 3 and 4, the Calder Quartet is joined by David Longstreth, founder of the rock band Dirty Projectors, for performances of his new compositions created specifically for this program, as well as new arrangements of Dirty Projectors songs for voice and string quartet.

The series concludes on November 22 with Quartets Nos. 2 and 6, and a collaboration with the Czech singer, violinist, and composer Iva Bittová, featuring music by Janá?ek and Bartók and improvisations for voice and string quartet.

Dirty Projectors, an experimental rock band based in Brooklyn, has become, in the words of The New York Times, "synonymous with complicated, conceptual indie rock." As Jon Pareles said in the Times in 2007, "There's a world of cross-references in Dirty Projectors' music: stuttering modal riffs from Mali, the meandering melodies of opera or modern music theater, pygmy antiphonal vocals, Captain Beefheart, Zimbabwean and Congolese rock, King Crimson, Talking Heads, Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks." http://dirtyprojectors.net

The Calder Quartet performs a broad range of repertoire at an exceptional level. Already the choice of many leading composers to perform their works-including Christopher Rouse, Terry Riley, and Thomas Adès-the group has been praised for their distinctive approach informed by a musical curiosity brought to everything they perform, from Beethoven, Mozart, and Haydn to sold-out rock shows with bands such as The National or The Airborne Toxic Event. Known for the discovery, commissioning, and mentoring of some of today's best emerging composers (with over 25 commissioned works to date), the group continues to collaborate with artists across musical genres. Inspired by pioneering American sculptor Alexander Calder, the Calder Quartet's desire to bring immediacy and context to the works they perform creates an artfully crafted musical experience. http://calderquartet.com

Tickets: $40; Three-concert series: $100

Bring the Kids! $1 tickets for children (ages 7-16) when accompanied by an adult with a full-price ticket (subject to availability).