The Souvenir de Florence String Sextet takes us on a musical excursion to Italy, where Tchaikovsky spent some of his happiest times— reflected in the unforgettable tunes and warm cantabile style. Assessments of the work’s national style—Italianate or inescapably Russian—differ, but the sextet is quintessential Tchaikovsky, suffused with his characteristic longing and incomparable melodies. Ravel’s Quartet in F Major is decidedly impressionistic and non-European, with exotic modes and mysterious, ethereal beauty. Listening to it is almost akin to exploring a foreign planet. The “1931” Quartet by Ruth Crawford Seeger, the first woman composer to be awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship, is a tour-de-force for string ensemble.

Escher String Quartet: Adam Barnett-Hart and Brendan Speltz, violin; Pierre Lapointe, viola; Brook Speltz, cello.
With Daniel Panner, viola; Yehuda Hanani, cello