parts + pieces- a night with Duo Tarenna and friends

The STRING QUARTET: a quintessential, iconic, beloved medium of Western classical music. Highly demanding, four instrumentalists come together as one in a string quartet through individual prowess, chemistry, and solid teamwork. The string quartet is, to quote Arnold Steinhardt, “indivisible by four”, but there are most certainly other musical combinations possible with two violins, one viola and one cello. Just how far can we deconstruct and reassemble the string quartet, and will we stay the same after?

Duo Tarenna’s parts + pieces is a collaborative exploration of little-known gems of the vast string chamber repertoire, experimenting with the various combinations of instrumentations within the string quartet. Along with our friends, Joelle Chiam and Tan Yan Chong, Duo Tarenna will take themselves apart in an attempt of self-discovery, to learn just what makes up the idea of a string quartet.

parts + pieces will be presented in two half-shows, two parts, if you may.

• Part 1 = grooves features interesting dance forms performed in pairs, trios, and fours, by Hindemith, Sutherland, Clarke and more.

• Part 2 = lines, on the other hand, gathers together a wide selection of contrapuntal music, both old and new, from composers like Stravinsky and Carter to Pugnani and Haydn.

We will also be performing two works written by budding composers Xiao Wen and Isaac Lim that we have selected through our Open Call for Scores.