Ulysses Quartet with Oskar Espina Ruiz, string quartet and clarinet
Sat, Oct 26, 2024 7:30 PM
Smith Theatre | Horowitz Center HCC
Performance Information
The Ulysses Quartet, renowned for their “textural versatility and grave beauty,” (The Strad), unites with the “phenomenal clarinetist,” (CVNC) Oskar Espina Ruiz, for their debut at Chamber Music Maryland. Highlighting the evening is a tribute to groundbreaking women composers: the innovative Caroline Shaw, recipient of both GRAMMY and Pulitzer Prizes, and the pioneering Fanny Mendelssohn, a 19th-century composer who redefined the norms of her time. The program also includes Brahms’ Clarinet Quintet, composed at the height of his expressive powers, featuring some of his most beautifully composed music.
The Program
Caroline Shaw: Plan & Elevation Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel: String Quartet in E-flat major Johannes Brahms: Clarinet Quintet in B minor, Op. 115 (37’)
About The Artists
The Ulysses Quartet has been praised for their “textural versatility,” “grave beauty” and “the kind of chemistry many quartets long for, but rarely achieve” (The Strad), as well as their “avid enthusiasm ... [with] chops to back up their passion” (San Diego Story), “delivered with a blend of exuberance and polished artistry” (The Buffalo News). The quartet “promise to bring as much sophistication, imagination and vitality to Beethoven’s other quartets as they will to music by a panoply of…
Oskar Espina Ruiz has been described by the press as a “masterful soloist” (La Nación, Costa Rica) and a “highly expressive clarinetist” (Nevskoye Vremia, Russia). He has performed at major concert halls and festivals to high critical acclaim, including concerto performances at the Philharmonic Hall in St. Petersburg, Russia, and recitals in New York City, Washington DC, Moscow, Madrid, Tokyo, Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong. He has appeared as soloist with the St. Petersburg State Academic…
