Prominent string quartet, pianist play joint concert

The Music Recital Hall was filled with excitement as 140 viewers packed the house to enjoy the music of Nadia Shpachenko and the Biava Quartet. The quartet includes Austin Hartman and Hyunsu Ko on violin, Mary Person on viola and Jason Calloway on cello. Cal Poly was just one of the many stops these performers traveled to on their West Coast November music tour. The evening began with a piece composed by Mozart entitled Piano Quartet No. 1 in G minor, K 478. The movement included three songs: Allegro, Andante and Rondo: Allegro moderato. "Mozart is probably the most difficult to play because it has to sound like we are not doing anything. It has to sound effortless and easy," said Calloway. The group treated the audience to a special preview of piano quintet "Epilogue" by Alexander Shchetinsky before its official premiere in New York. "Mozart has a beautiful simplicity and that's really enjoyable and a lot of hard work to bring out," said Hartman. Friday's concert marked only the group's third time playing "Epilogue." "There is a lot of emphasis on silence in the East for [this piece]," said Brandon Ecks, a third-year music education student. The piece featured heavy doses of unusual sound effects. Some audience members said the periods of silence were well-employed. The last movement performed was Piano Quintet No. 2 in A Major, Op. 81 by Antonin Dvorak. "Having a piece that explores silence and also uses tritons is really cool. I really liked it in the middle of the program," said Ben Jackson, a fourth-year recording technology student.

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