When the Emerson String Quartet was founded in 1976, the quartet took its name from Ralph Waldo Emerson, a 19th century American transcendentalist writer whose work, some may say, is just as exciting or dull as the Quartet's music, depending on one's taste.
This is no low-brow fare -- the group immerses itself in classical music and hopes the audience can understand and keep up with its blurring, technically fascinating interpretations.
Now, the Emerson String Quartet, winner of four Grammy Awards including the 1998 Grammy for the best chamber music performance for their complete recording of the Beethoven string quartets, will be playing music by Beethoven and Shostakovich tonight in Spaulding Auditorium.
Ranked among the top quartets in the world, violinists Eugene Drucker and Philip Setzer, violist Lawrence Dutton and cellist David Finckel are known for their effective performances of both classical and contemporary music.
The concert will include Shostakovich's "String Quartet No. 9" and Beethoven's "Late Quartet, Op. 135" and "Grosse Fugue."
The Emerson String Quartet has played in chamber music series and festivals throughout the world. It toured in Germany, Holland, Switzerland and Italy, and played in the Israel Music Festival in 1996, celebrating the 3,000th anniversary of Jerusalem.
The group's honors have included an honorary doctoral degree from Middlebury College and the 1994 University Medal for Distinguished Service from the University of Hartford, and Gramophone Magazine's Record of the Year and Chamber Music Record of the Year.
Drucker, who alternates with Setzer as the group's principle violinist, has performed as a soloist throughout the world. He studied for his Artist Diploma from the Juilliard School at the same time as he earned his BA in English Literature at Columbia University.
He was a prize winner in the 1975 International Violin Competition in Montreal, and he and Setzer both won bronze medals at the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels in 1976.
Setzer, who also studied at the Juilliard School, earned second place in the Meriwether Post Competition in Washington, D.C. He has appeared as a guest soloist with the National Symphony and the Cleveland Orchestra.
Dutton studied at both the Juilliard School and the Eastman School, and he has been a guest soloist with orchestras throughout the country. Dutton has made several recordings and is currently a visiting professor of viola and chamber music at the Hartt School of Music.
Finckel joined the quartet in 1979. He is a professor of cello at the Hartt School of Music and the Aspen Music Festival. He made his solo debut with the Philadelphia Orchestra after winning the orchestra's Junior Student Competition at age 15.
Finckel also earned prizes in the Washington International Bach Competition and won the New England Conservatory Piatigorsky Artist Award. He has performed as a guest soloist with orchestras throughout the country.
There will be a spotlight discussion with the musicians one hour preceding the performance at the Top of the Hop.
