March 24, 2010
Parisii Quartet. Download image.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - UAB's Alys Stephens Center will present the Parisii Quartet at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 15 in the center, 1200 10th Ave. South. Tickets are $35; $20 for students. Call 205-975-2787 or go to www.AlysStephens.org.
Formed in 1984 by four prize-winning graduates of the Conservatoire National Superieur de Paris, the Parisii won early acclaim with its triumphs at major competitions, including Banff (1986), Munich and Evian (1987). Quartet members are Arnaud Vallin and Jean-Michel Berrette, violin; Dominique Lobet, viola; and Jean-Philippe Martignoni, cello.
Highlights of the Parisii's recent European seasons included concerts in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Edinburgh, Lausanne, Barcelona and Madrid. Much in demand in Paris, the Parisii has been featured in a presentation of all the Haydn quartets at the Opéra de la Bastille, performed all of the Beethoven string quartets at the Salle Gaveau and appeared frequently at the Musée d'Orsay. Noted for its performances of distinctive repertoire of the 18th, 19th, 20th and 21st centuries, the quartet has distinguished itself with award-winning recordings of intriguing works by such French composers as Menu, Pierné and Tailleferre. Of recent note are recordings of the 16 string quartets of Darius Milhaud, which won the Grand Prix Charles Cros.
On the program for their Alys Stephens Center show: Quartet No. 4, Op. 46 by Milhaud, Quartet in G minor, Op. 10 by Claude Debussy and Quartet in D major by César Franck.
This show is part of the Birmingham Chamber Music Society Series and sponsored by the Birmingham Chamber Music Society, Jeanne Hutchison, Burr & Forman, Ben and Jessica Johnson, Alabama State Council on the Arts, National Endowment for the Humanities, The Birmingham News, WBHM and Viva Health.
About UAB's Alys Stephens Center
UAB's Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center is one of the Southeast's premier performing arts centers, hosting the best in international, national and local performance. Home to the UAB departments of theatre and music and the Alabama Symphony Orchestra, the ASC also presents its own season, bringing the world's best music, dance, theater, comedy and family entertainment to Alabama.