Featuring Dirk Mommertz (piano), Erika Geldsetzer (violin), Sascha Frömbling (viola) and Konstantin Heidrich (cello), the Fauré Quartett met in 1995 while studying in Karlsruhe, Germany for the 150th anniversary of Gabriel Fauré’s birth. These German musicians loved playing Fauré’s quartet so much they took the name for their group. In 2006, they were signed to a recording contract by Deutsche Grammophon, raising them to the pinnacle of the classic music world. They have made highly regarded, benchmark recordings of works by Mozart, Brahms, and Mendelssohn. In 2010, the Fauré received the ECHO Classic award for their album “Classic Beyond Borders.” Their 2008 recording of Brahms’ piano quartets was named Chamber Music Recording of the Year.
The program blends Quartettsatz in A Major, a one-movement work by a 16-year-old Mahler, perhaps his only chamber work, with two of the greatest piano quartets every written. Brahms prepared for two years before moving to Vienna, then the musical capital of Europe, and played his Piano Quartet in g-minor to wow the sophisticated Viennese – a newer, wider concert audience for his debut performance. Fauré had become interested in developing an innovative style of “French” music after the Franco-Prussian War, and his Piano Quartet in c-minor was a harbinger of that change. Both are monumental works.
MV Chamber Music Society caps its season by showcasing the talents of five emerging classical musicians at the annual Marin Music Chest “Young Artists’ Concert” on May 19, 2019.
The 411: The Mill Valley Chamber Music Society presents a concert by the Fauré Quartett on Sunday, March 24 at Mt. Tamalpais United Methodist Church, 410 Sycamore Ave. at 5 p.m. Single tickets are $35 general and FREE for youth, teen and college music students. Students 15 years old or younger must be accompanied by an adult. All subscribers receive a complimentary ticket to the annual Marin Music Chest Young Artists Concert in May 2019. MORE INFO & TIX. Here’s a video of a Fauré Quartett performance: