Fritz Quartet Presents a Soiree of String Melodies

Hi everyone! As announced earlier, the library@esplanade will be holding a special Christmas concert just for our patrons on the 23rd of December (Fri). To give you guys a taste of all the great performances you can look forward to, I’ll be posting short articles on each of the groups who will be performing on the 23rd.

What is the festive season without music, dancing and merry-making? This Christmas, the library evokes the elegant age of Austenian ballroom dance parties with a contemporary twist with a performance by the Fritz Quartet, a Singapore-based string quartet.

Armed with a sound training in classical music, the Fritz Quartet reinvents both classical music and its musical Others through its diverse repertoire which ranges from classical to tango and pop. Running the gamut from Tchaikovsky to anime themes, the quartet aims to delight audiences with their unique take on string quartet music.

The Fritz Quartet comprises Jessie Ye (first violin), Hong Yaw Chang (second violin), Max Cheng (viola) and Lenard Cheng (cello). The quartet has been performing in public since 2006, making appearances at performance venues, product launches, community, corporate and private events, and schools. Most recently, the quartet performed at the historic Armenian Church during the “Illuminate 175” event held by the National Heritage Board to celebrate the Church’s 175th anniversary. The quartet has also performed at the library before in February 2008, so it’s really nice to have them back at the Open Stage again.

True to their versatile nature, this Christmas the Fritz Quartet will be presenting a medley of vastly different styles of music, all played on classical string instruments. They will begin their performance with Schubert’s “Death and the Maiden” String Quartet no. 14 in D Minor. They will then play several tango pieces by Piazzolla, and string quartet arrangements of “Viva la Vida” and “Yellow” by popular British rock band Coldplay. They will also play movie themes from the animated films Spirited Away and Up, as well as Christmas carols.

At the end of every piece, members of the quartet will share with the audience their reasons for choosing these pieces. So, if you’re like me and wondering what the rather grim Schubert piece has to do with Christmas, be sure to attend the Christmas concert on the 23rd!

For more information about the Fritz Quartet, do check out their website www.fritzquartet.com and their official facebook page www.facebook.com/fritzquartet. You can also listen to excerpts of songs played by the Fritz Quartet here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAWQDVixdzE.

Artiste: The Fritz Quartet
Time: 6.30pm – 7.30pm
Venue: Open Stage, library@esplanade