Photo by Autumn de Wilde
The Calder Quartet appears in SFJAZZ, Sept. 24-Nov. 11, to perform the complete cycle of six string quartets by Béla Bartók in three evenings, each two quartets paired with varied contemporary music.
On Sept. 24, Bartók's first and fourth quartets will be followed after intermission by jazz bass virtuoso, composer and bandleader Christian McBride joining the Calder.
Avant-garde and jazz musician Bittová follows the Bartók Quartets No. 2 and 3 on Oct. 5.
The final concert, on Nov. 11, will feature Bartók's fifth and sixth quartets, followed by Korrespondenz by fellow Hungarian Péter Eötvös.
The Calder Quartet has commissioned some 25 works by today’s most notable composers including Terry Riley, Christopher Rouse and Thomas Adès, and shared the stage with adventurous rock and pop acts The National and The Airborne Toxic Event.