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Espressivo! Piano Quartet is a classical supergroup of four great artists with a passion for chamber music and remarkably expressive style, so what better name could there be for this new piano and string collective? In their Clarice Presents debut, Espressivo! will open with Mozart’s Piano Quartet in E-Flat Major, possibly the first work ever written for the quartet's orchestration. From a golden classic, they continue on to modernity with the 2024 commission Joy Steppin' by Nokuthula Ngwenyama, recipient of the Avery Fisher Career Grant. The evening closes with a true showstopper: Johannes Brahms' Piano Quartet No. 1 in G Minor, a high-spirited work that always brings the crowd to their feet with its whirling ending. Violinist Jaime Laredo and cellist Sharon Robinson are considered "chamber music royalty" (The Washington Post), an appellation that applies equally well to their stellar partners, violist Milena Pájaro-van de Stadt and award-winning pianist Anna Polonsky. The ensemble's goal is to capture the virtuosity, melodic wonder and emotional lift that they personally feel when they listen to this music, then to pass that elation along to the audience.
