MUSIC

Houston Friends of Music presents the Shanghai Quartet with Guest Artist, Wang Guowei, Erhu, , Tuesday, January 13.

Originally formed in Shanghai 25 years ago, the Shanghai Quartet is known for its passionate musicality, impressive technique, and multicultural innovations. Its elegant style of melding the delicacy of Eastern music with the emotional breadth of Western repertoire allows it to traverse the genres, from traditional Chinese folk music to cutting- edge contemporary classical works.

The Shanghai Quartet last performed on the HFM series in November 1999.

“An ensemble with such virtuosity and style… Shanghai Quartet holds audiences breathless in D.C.” –The Washington Post.

"It departs from the hard-bitten attack currently in favor and instead recalls the aristocratic style of prewar European quartets."
–The New York Times

Guest Artist, Wang Guowei, is one of the most outstanding erhu soloists of his generation. Born in Shanghai, he joined the Shanghai Traditional Orchestra at age 17, later becoming erhu soloist and concertmaster.

“What the audience heard, in lovely interchanges with the voices, is an erhu, a two-string Chinese fiddle…gorgeously played by Wang Guowei.”
–The New York Times

Scheduled Program:

Barber: Quartet Op.11
Wang Guowei: Erhu Solo
Chen Yi: Fiddle Suite for Erhu and String Quartet
Ravel: Quartet in F Major

Co-sponsored by Asia Society Texas.

Houston Friends of Music is funded in part by grants from The City of Houston through the Houston Arts Alliance.