Among the world’s finest string quartets, the beloved Takács returns for two concerts this season. For its second concert this season, the Grammy and Gramophone Award-winning Berkeley favorite presents a stellar program of works covering a vast emotional terrain. Hugo Wolf’s tuneful Italian Serenade is balanced by Bartók’s awesome second quartet, which patiently unfolds in a long, almost spiritual dramatic arc. Schubert’s diabolically challenging final string quartet is a lesson in extremes of tone, texture, and tempo. The singular Takács has the range and focus to pull it all off seamlessly. “You will not hear better string quartet playing anywhere in the world today” (BBC Music Magazine).

Takács Quartet Nov 12 concert >