Feb. 11, 2020

Contact Mary Ellen Haupert at 608-796-3770 or mehaupert@viterbo.edu

ARTARIA STRING QUARTET TO CELEBRATE BEETHOVEN’S BIRTHDAY WITH SIX CONCERTS AT VITERBO UNIVERSITY FEB. 22–24, MARCH 22–24

LA CROSSE, Wis. – The acclaimed Artaria String Quartet will present the complete cycle of 17 string quartets by Ludwig van Beethoven in six concerts in celebration of the composer’s 250th birthday Saturday, Feb. 22–Monday, Feb. 24 and Sunday, March 22–Tuesday, March 24 in the Viterbo University Fine Arts Center Nola Starling Recital Hall.

The 17 string quartets of Beethoven’s monumental canon span thirty-six of his fifty-seven years and represent, perhaps better than any other of his works, the revered Early, Middle, and Late periods of his compositional life. These so-called “periods” are not mere academic divisions but rather a glorious arc of Beethoven’s work. So, too, they encompass his deafness from its beginning to its final and awful silence. Within the Artaria String Quartet’s six programs of the complete Beethoven string quartets is infinite variety, combining those periods within a single performance as a most satisfying experience for the listener.

“Thanks to the sponsorship of several generous patrons, Beethoven’s 250th birthday will be celebrated in style, and I mean that literally,” said Mary Ellen Haupert, Viterbo music department faculty member. “Hearing the complete string quartets in six concerts is uniquely ambitious and technically demanding for Artaria String Quartet—a magnanimous project that reveals a glimpse at the life work of western music’s greatest innovator. The quartet’s grand tour of styles encompasses Beethoven’s earlier, classically-conceived Opus 18 quartets, as well as his avant garde Grosse Fuge. One must hear all the quartets to fully appreciate the work of the creator (Beethoven) and re-creators (Artaria String Quartet), so I’m hoping that folks in the Coulee Region take on the challenge and purchase tickets for the entire series.”

The Artaria String Quartet is an award-winning professional string ensemble now in its 34th year, with numerous awards to its credit, including major grants from the NEA and Chamber Music America, and in Minnesota, numerous State Arts Board Grants, a McKnight fellowship for performing musicians, and a year as MPR’s Artists in Residence. 

Performance times are 7:30 p.m. Feb. 22, Feb. 24, March 23, and March 24 and 3 p.m. Feb. 23 and March 22.

Tickets are $25 per concert, $60 per weekend, and $114 for the full series. Seating is general admission. For tickets, contact the Viterbo box office at 608-796-3100 or visit www.viterbo.edu/tickets.

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