American Immersion: Georg Friedrich Haas - JACK Quartet at Austrian Cultural Forum

On February 24, at 7:30 pm, the JACK Quartet performs Haas' String Quartet No. 3 In iij. Noct., in complete darkness at the Austrian Cultural Forum New York (11 E 52nd Street in Manhattan). This revolutionary composition has crossed musical and performance practice barriers with darkness as both the theme of the piece and the literal environment in which it is performed. In the absence of light, the musicians can neither see their music nor their fellow performers, requiring them to rely only on audible cues. JACK has become renowned for its performances of this work: Allan Kozinn of The New York Timesproclaimed the 2010 performance one of the best of the year and Los Angeles Times critic Mark Swed wrote of JACK's sold-out L.A. performances "mind-blowingly good". "The music coupled with the darkness has this incredible ability to make you completely lose track of time," JACK violinist Ari Streisfeld told Alex Ross of The New Yorker. "We don't even realize how much time has gone by." The event is free, however reservations are required.