Amid the hustle and bustle of midterms, the Chamber Music Society of Salt Lake City will present The Prazak Quartet at Libby Gardner Hall today.
According to its Web site, this world-renowned string quartet has been performing together since 1972 when its members met at the Prague Conservatory. During the last 30 years, the group has toured the world, playing in concert halls in cities such as Paris, London and San Francisco.
Rachel Varat-Navarro, the Chamber Music Society’s public relations coordinator, said the string quartet’s style is a combination of traditional and contemporary interpretations of classical music. She said that one of the group’s assets is the long career it has enjoyed. The members know what to expect from one another, which gives their music a combination of passion, fire and elegance.
Varat-Navarro said the Chamber Music Society was formed almost 40 years ago with the goal of bringing the best chamber music groups in the world to Salt Lake City. She explained that the organization prides itself on introducing people to groups they would not ordinarily hear.
For those who may not be familiar with chamber music, Varat-Navarro described a chamber music concert as an intimate showcase of individual musicians. Unlike a symphony performance in which string instruments tend to get lost, she said, chamber music allows musicians to show off their individual talents.
“Chamber music lovers enjoy the smallness of it,” Varat-Navarro said.
The concert begins tonight at 7:30 and features Haydn’s “Quartet in D Major, Opus 77, No. 2,” Schulhoff’s “Five Pieces for String Quartet” and Dvorák’s “Quartet in A-Flat Major, Opus 105.” Tickets are $5 for students, $20 for general admission and can be purchased at the Kingsbury Hall box office.