Takács Quartet, Julien Labro to perform April 20 at Recital Hall

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Takács Quartet and soloist Julien Labro will showcase a member of the concertina family with a program of works dedicated to the bandoneon, a reed instrument.

The artists will perform at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 20, in the Recital Hall at University Park.

Visit Takács String Quartet online or call 814-863-0255 for more information.

Similar to a concertina or an accordion, the bandoneon originally was used to play German folk and religious music. It later reached peak popularity in Argentina and Uruguay as an instrument in tango ensembles.

The Recital Hall program will celebrate the versatile reed instrument in works with and without accompaniment:

• “Circles” by Bryce Dessner
• “Meditation No. 1” by Julien Labro
• “Minguito” by Dino Saluzzi
• “Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme (Sleepers Awake)” by Johann Sebastian Bach
• “Astoración” by Labro
• String Quartet in F Major by Maurice Ravel
• “Clash” by Clarice Assad

The Center for the Performing Arts at Penn State co-commissioned the Dessner and Assad works through its membership in the national consortium Music Accord.

Founded by music students at the Franz Liszt Academy in Budapest, the Grammy Award-winning Takács Quartet is in its 48th season of worldwide tours and CD releases. The ensemble is known for innovate programming and musical partnerships. The quartet members — violinists Edward Dusinberre and Harumi Rhodes, violist Richard O’Neill, and co-founder and cellist András Fejér — are the Christoffersen Faculty Fellows at the University of Colorado in Boulder.

Labro has established himself as the foremost accordion and bandoneon player in the classical and jazz genres. The Chicago Tribune described the virtuoso musician as “a triple threat: brilliant technician, poetic melodist and cunning arranger.” Labro is a frequent guest soloist of symphonies. He has written for numerous chamber ensembles and performed with a variety of acclaimed jazz musicians.

Acknowledgements

Elinor C. Lewis and Pieter W. and Lida Ouwehand sponsor the concert. The Nina C. Brown Endowment and Dotty and Paul Rigby Classical Music Endowment provide support. A grant from the University Park Student Fee Board makes Penn State student prices possible. The Penn State School of Music hosts the presentation.

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