American String Quartet Opens the Cooperstown Summer Music Festival’s 27th Season

The American String Quartet will launch CSMF’s new season with a captivating program that ranges from Mozart's royal court elegance to folk-inspired works of the late 19th century. The evening opens with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's String Quartet in B-flat major, K. 589, from the "Prussian" Quartets (his final three), which showcase his characteristic style and refinement while giving a prominent, lyrical role to the cello, born of Mozart’s hope for the patronage of cellist-King Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia.

In a special collaboration, CSMF Artistic Director and flutist Linda Chesis will join the quartet for Charles Bordes's Suite Basque, op. 6, a little-known gem which highlights Bordes's fascination with Basque folk music and features the flute, representing the traditional Basque txistu, a type of flute which came to symbolize the Basque folk revival. This performance offers a portal to the unique character and rhythmic vitality of Basque musical heritage.

The evening reaches its zenith with Johannes Brahms's String Quintet No. 2 in G Major, op. 111. Written for string quintet with two violas, this extraordinary work achieves an almost symphonic sonority in its outer movements. Exuberant, sumptuous, and unmistakably Brahms,  the work was intended by the composer to be his last, and unarguably one of the finest achievements in his chamber music. In fact, when he sent the score to his publisher, Brahms included a note to effect that Simrock Publishing now held his “last will and testament.”

For this performance, the current American String Quartet violist will be joined by the former ASQ violist, Daniel Avshalomov, for a special reunion. The quintet's exuberant finale reflects Brahms' Hungarian Dances, creating a folk music connection that pairs beautifully with the Bordes. The American String Quartet continues to set the standard for chamber music excellence, bringing decades of experience and artistic refinement to this carefully curated program that spans classical elegance, folk inspiration, and romantic grandeur.

"We're thrilled to welcome back these Festival favorites," said Artistic Director Linda Chesis. "The American String Quartet has been such an integral part of our musical community. Their return to open our season feels like a homecoming we can't wait to share with our audiences."

Program:

• W.A. Mozart - String Quartet  in B-flat major, K. 589

• Charles Bordes - Suite Basque, op. 6

• Johannes Brahms - String Quintet No. 2 in G major, op. 111

Artists:

• American String Quartet - Peter Winograd, violin; Laurie Carney, violin; Matthias Buchholz, viola; Wolfram Koessel, cello

• Linda Chesis, flute

• Daniel Avshalomov, viola