A transatlantic collaboration, the Dante Quartet and tenor Brian Thorsett bring world premiere to Blacksburg

One of the United Kingdom’s premier string ensembles, the Dante Quartet makes its debut at the Moss Arts Center with a performance featuring Brian Thorsett, associate professor in Virginia Tech's School of Performing Arts and an accomplished tenor, on Thursday, March 6, at 7:30 p.m.

The evening includes the world premiere of a new work, “The Wreaths of Time,” a song cycle of American poetry for string quartet and voice created for Thorsett and the Dante Quartet by British composer Ian Venables, alongside two poignant, emotionally deep, and introspective works: Beethoven’s String Quartet in F Major, op. 135, and Elgar’s String Quartet in E minor, op. 83. 

Having worked with both the Dante Quartet and Thorsett, Venables connected them to coordinate a series of spring 2024 concerts in England that would include a performance of Venables’ work “Invite to Eternity.” After this successful collaboration, the quartet and Thorsett arranged a U.S. tour, where they could workshop the new work by Venables and prepare for a future recording project. Blacksburg is the first stop on the tour.   

“The quartet is world-class and has been around 30 years. They specialize in Beethoven and English music, but do a range of other works so well,” said Thorsett. “The Moss audience will be treated to a very in-depth and long-gestated performance of the F Major quartet. The Elgar quartet is a rarity here in America, so it will be new to many ears. The work I am involved in, Ian Venable’s ‘The Wreaths of Time,’ will be heard for the first time ever at the Moss concert. The days before, we will be putting it together with Ian in residence here, so we can honor what he intended and also explore our own interpretation.” 

“The Wreaths of Time” represents the growing professional and personal connections among the musicians.

“After those initial U.K. performances, the Dante and I decided that for its 30th anniversary tour we should commission a piece that links our across-the-sea friendships,” Thorsett said. “So we have an American tenor singing American poetry to an English composer’s music played by English musicians.”

Known for its imaginative programming and impassioned performances, the Dante Quartet was founded in 1995 and chose its name to reflect the idea of an epic journey. The quartet has been honored with the Royal Philharmonic Society Award for Chamber Music and has received international awards for its recordings. Frequently heard on Radio 3, the quartet has appeared many times at London’s Wigmore Hall and Kings Place as well as at some of the U.K.’s foremost festivals and music societies. Abroad, the ensemble has played in France, Germany, Holland, Spain, Switzerland, Finland, the Czech Republic, and Poland, and has twice toured Japan.

The ensemble has performed cycles of the complete Beethoven and Shostakovich string quartets in single marathon weekends and has collaborated with playwright Clare Norburn, author of concert drama “Breaking the Rules,” on a dramatized version of Beethoven’s quartet cycle, featuring actor David Timson as the composer. This innovative format has proved popular and has been performed many times.

A tenor whose singing is praised for its clarity, warmth, and expression, Thorsett excels in opera, oratorio, and recital across the world. Since taking to the operatic stage, he has been seen and heard in over 100 diverse operatic roles, ranging from Monteverdi to Britten, back to Rameau and ahead again to works composed specifically for his talents. As a concert singer, Thorsett fosters a stylistically diversified repertoire of over 250 works, which has taken him to concert halls across the U.S. and Europe. Closely associated with expanding the vocal-chamber genre, he has been involved in premieres and commissions of a number of acclaimed composers. 

This performance is supported in part by gifts from Mr. Bruce Prichard and Mrs. Nancy Beville Prichard and Intimate Voices.

Related events

Immediately following the performance, join members of the Dante Quartet and the composer for an open post-performance discussion.

While visiting Blacksburg, the quartet will perform a free matinee for students in grades eight through 12 from Giles, Montgomery, Patrick, Botetourt, Floyd, Pulaski, Orange, Wythe, Roanoke, Carroll, Craig, Bland, Bedford, and Franklin counties and Roanoke and Radford cities, as well as a special mini-concert for patients, doctors, and staff at the Carilion New River Valley Medical Center. Quartet members also will visit the community music enrichment program Virginia Tech String Project, where they will engage with musicians in grades three and up through performance, discussion, and hands-on instruction.

Dante Quartet members will help School of Performing Arts musicians in the violin, viola, and cello studios hone their individual artistry in three separate master classes, while Virginia Tech Chamber Music musicians perform multiple pieces live on the Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre stage, where they will be given insightful artistic feedback. At a histories of music class, Venables will join members of the quartet to discuss the process and importance of collaboration when commissioning new works.

Tickets

Tickets are $20-$55 for general audience and $10 for students and youth 18 and under. Tickets can be purchased online; at the Moss Arts Center's box office, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday; or by calling 540-231-5300 during box office hours.

Venue and parking information

The performance will be held in the center’s Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre, located within the Street and Davis Performance Hall at 190 Alumni Mall. Convenient parking is available in the North End Parking Garage on Turner Street and in downtown Blacksburg. Find more parking details online.

If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation, please contact Jamie Wiggert at least 10 days prior to the event at 540-231-5300 or email wiggertj@vt.edu during regular business hours.