Lugano Art and Culture

JACK Quartet returns to Lugano with a program featuring works with layers of inspiration and expressive meaning. The quartet will give the European premiere of Anthony Cheung’s Twice Removed, which draws its form and content from the concept of ekphrasis, that is: one form of art interpreting another ("a painting of a poem"), taking the concept one step further by interpreting already existing works using this concept. The quartet also performs Eva-Maria Houben's Nothing More, which is draws its micro-movement titles from Berg's Lyric Suite, Heinz Holliger's String Quartet No. 2, which is dedicated Elliott Carter, whose String Quartet No. 5 is also featured on the program. Layers of time and inspiration are held together by John Cage's cyclical String Quartet in Four Parts, in the composer's words a simple "line in rhythmic space".

Program:
Eva-Maria Houben, Nothing More
Anthony Cheung, Twice Removed
Elliott Carter, String Quartet No. 5
John Cage, String Quartet in Four Parts
Heinz Holliger, String Quartet No. 2

Anthony Cheung’s Twice Removed was commissioned by JACK Quartet with the support of the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation, 92nd Street Y, and Wigmore Hall.