L to R: Ariel Quartet members violinists Gershon Gerchikov, Alexandra “Sasha” Kazovsky and violist Jan Grüning; pianist Liza Stepanova and Ariel Quartet cellist Amit Even-Tov
It’s hard to believe that the Ariel Quartet has been quartet-in-residence at CCM for 15 years. Lest we ever take this astonishing young ensemble for granted, it’s important to know that their annual concert performances are as fresh, invigorating and insightful as they were when they’d just arrived.
The Ariels – violinists Alexandra “Sasha” Kazovsky and Gershon Gerchikov, violist Jan Grüning and cellist Amit Even-Tov – came together as teenagers in 1998, and three are original members. Lately, their big project has been to record the entire cycle of Beethoven String Quartets. Vol. III is expected out any day on CD and on streaming platforms. Read more about that here.
Their program, titled “Blueprints,” included Haydn’s String Quartet in C major, Op. 33, No. 3 (“The Bird”) and the Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Caroline Shaw’s “Blueprint” in the first half. (The Ariel will reprise these two works on Dec. 8 at Carnegie Hall.)
The small Werner Recital Hall at CCM was jam-packed with faculty members, students, patrons and loyal fans of the quartet. They opened with Haydn’s Quartet Op. 33, No. 3, subtitled “The Bird” – either for its chirping opening theme or the trilling duet of the violins in the second movement. Read More »
Dror Biran and friends delivered a ravishing reading of the Schuman Piano Quartet on Sunday.
I admit I haven’t been to many concerts lately at CCM, so I decided to check the February calendar. What a wonderful wealth of music is in store this month! Off the bat, I jumped in the car and ran down to hear piano faculty member Dror Biran and friends for a lovely 90 minutes or so of some of my favorite music, Feb. 4.
Biran anchored the FREE concert with the Schumann Piano Quartet, joined by three members of the CSO, Gabe Napoli, viola; Charles Morey, violin; and Dan Culnan, cello. The other selection was Rachmaninoff’s Suite No. 2 for Two Pianos. This was a reading that was lush and romantic, but also bold, even muscular at times. At the other Steinway was another wonderful pianist, Timothy Lovelace, a CCM graduate, who holds the chair in collaborative piano and coaching at the University of Minnesota.
Dror Biran, CCM piano faculty member, and Timothy Lovelace, faculty member at University of Minnesota, were duo pianists.
Some concerts are ticketed, but much of it is free. You won’t be sorry! Here’s a link to the offerings by month — ccm.uc.edu/onstage.
See some of my suggestions coming soon, below.
Tonight: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 6
• Faculty Artist Series •
Kurt Sassmannshaus, violin
Featuring faculty artists Jan Grüning, viola; and Dror Biran, piano
Sassmannshaus performs the beautiful G-major violin and viola duo by W.A. Mozart with Grüning. He also performs two violin and piano masterworks with CCM pianist Dror Biran: Beethoven’s “Spring” Sonata and the Debussy Sonata. Location: Robert J. Werner Recital Hall. FREE.
7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 13
•CCM String Quartet-in-Residence Series• CETERA DESUNT: THE REST IS MISSING
Ariel Quartet
Featuring guest artist Lera Auerbach, piano; and Rafael DeStella, double bass A renaissance artist for modern times, Lera Auerbach is a widely recognized conductor, pianist and composer. She is also an award-winning poet and an exhibited visual artist. This performance features Auerbach’s String Quartet No. 10, “Frozen Dreams” and String Quartet No. 3, “Cetera Desunt.” Auerbach and DeStella will also join the Ariel Quartet on piano for Schubert’s “Trout” Quintet. Estimated run time: 90 minutes Location: Robert J. Werner Recital Hall Tickets: $29.50 adult, $15 student, $19.75 UC faculty/staff, $10 UC student, $5 CCM student; group discounts available.
8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 15
8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 16
8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 17
• Undergraduate Opera Series • THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO
Composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte
Amy Johnson, stage director
Brett Scott, music director and conductor
Cory Battey, assistant conductor
Kenneth Shaw, producer and set designer
Location: Cohen Family Studio Theater Tickets: $15 adult, $15 student, $15 UC faculty/staff, $10 UC student, $5 CCM student; group discounts available.
Who doesn’t love Viennese apple strudel and chocolate babka? The Ariel Quartet—violinist Alexandra “Sasha” Kazovsky; violinist Gershon Gerchikov; cellist Amit Even-Tov, and violist Jan Grüning—invites you to celebrate Hanukkah with an afternoon of music and holiday baking today, December 13 at 4 pm ET. The delicious and musical interactive livestream event is free to those who sign up at https://ourconcerts.live/shows/hanukkah and will be produced by OurConcerts.live.
The Ariel Quartet — Quartet in Residence at CCM — will perform Schulhoff’s String Quartet No. 1; Beethoven: Quartet in G major, Op. 18, No. 2, and Steve Cohen’s “A Klezmer Nutcracker,” live from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.
They’ll also share their family recipes for making Viennese Apple Strudel and Chocolate Babka, and there will even be a bake-off matching up Lebkuchen and Hanukkah doughnuts.
Friends since their early teenage years in Israel, Kazovsky, Gerchikov, and Even-Tov formed the ensemble two decades ago as young students at the Jerusalem Academy Middle School of Music and Dance. Violist Jan Grüning joined in 2011. Today, the Ariel Quartet is distinguished by its virtuosity, probing musical insight, and impassioned, fiery performances, and has earned praise and fans worldwide.
The bake-off promises to show a “much sillier side of our friendship,” says Even-Tov.
“Hanukkah encourages each of us to find a way to radiate light into the world, and it’s in that same spirit that inspires that openness with which we try to approach our music-making and our relationships with each other, our audience, and the world beyond us. In our sound you can hear that we have been friends for a very long time,” she said.
