The Pacifica Quartet and Orion Weiss
Pacifica QuartetOrion Weiss, Piano
Hailed by the Chicago Tribune for its “astonishing talent, energy and dedication,” the Pacifica Quartet presents an evening of firsts: Beethoven’s seminal first string quartet; the first widely acknowledged masterpiece of the piano quintet genre; and the Ravinia premiere of Voices, a work dedicated to the Pacifica Quartet by composer Jennifer Higdon. Her Loco, a work commissioned for the CSO by Ravinia Festival, was a highlight of the festival’s centennial celebration in 2004, and most recently her Concerto 4-3 delighted audiences during the 2009 festival season. Joining the quartet that debuted on Ravinia’s Rising Stars series in 1998 is pianist Orion Weiss, “clearly a pianist to watch” (Los Angeles Times) who gave a magnificent performance of Grieg’s Piano Concerto with the CSO in 2008.Beethoven: String Quartet in F Major, Op. 18, No. 1Higdon: VoicesSchumann: Piano Quintet in E-flat Major, Op. 44