Classical Music, Concert

Presented by Duke Arts Presents

Escher Quartet with pianist, David Fung

Sunday, January 31 at 7:00pm
Tickets

“…Eloquent, full-blooded playing… The four players [of Escher Quartet] offer a beautiful blend of individuality and accord.”

BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE

“In short: it’s not ‘Mozart as usual.’” The renowned Escher Quartet joins pianist David Fung, fresh off an all-Mozart recording, for music by Mozart and Schumann. The Escher Quartet brings an airy radiance to the stage. “As an ensemble, they glow” (New York Classical Review), shaping luminous melodic lines with the careful attention to bowing, vibrato, and phrasing, joined by the“silky, dulcet melodic lines” of David Fung. (Earrelevant).   

Both the Mozart and Schumann works create an almost piano concerto-like atmosphere, spinning a clever repartee that dances between the different instruments. Indeed, the Eschers owe their name to the Dutch graphic artist M.C. Escher, whose “method of interplay between individual components works together to form a whole.” Also on the program, the Eschers play a hidden gem by the legendary film composer, Erich Wolfgang Korngold.

Event Details

Baldwin Auditorium
1336 Campus Drive
Durham, NC 27705

Visit our Baldwin Auditorium FAQ page for more information.

Venue Details

Approximately 1 hour and 35 minutes


Ticket & Discount Information

Tickets available starting at $35. Student tickets always $10.

Program

Mozart: Piano Quartet in E-flat major, K. 493
Korngold: String Quartet No. 3 in D major, Op. 45
Schumann: Piano Quintet in E-flat major, Op. 44

*Program is subject to change

The Escher String Quartet has received acclaim for its profound musical insight and rare tonal beauty. A former BBC New Generation Artist and recipient of the Avery Fisher Career Grant, the quartet has performed at the BBC Proms at Cadogan Hall and is a regular guest at Wigmore Hall. In its home town of New York, the ensemble serves as season artists of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.

Highlights of the 205-2026 season find the Escher Quartet performing in many of the great venues and organizations in the United States, including Alice Tully Hall, The Morgan Library, Ensemble Music Society Indianapolis, Buffalo Chamber Music Society, Arte Musica Montreal, Clark Library Los Angeles, and the Savannah Music Festival, among others. In addition to their North American engagements, the quartet returns once again to Wigmore Hall for a BBC live broadcast recital as well as other engagements in Germany and continental Europe.

The Escher Quartet has made a distinctive impression throughout Europe, with recent debuts including the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Berlin Konzerthaus, London’s Kings Place, Slovenian Philharmonic Hall, Les Grands Interprètes Geneva, Tel Aviv Museum of Art, and Auditorium du Louvre. The group has appeared at festivals such as the Heidelberg Spring Festival, Budapest’s Franz Liszt Academy, Dublin’s Great Music in Irish Houses, the Risør Chamber Music Festival in Norway, the Hong Kong International Chamber Music Festival, and the Perth International Arts Festival in Australia. Alongside its growing European profile, the Escher Quartet continues to flourish in its home country, performing at the Aspen Music Festival, Bravo! Vail, Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, Bowdoin Music Festival, Toronto Summer Music, Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival, OKM Festival, Chamber Music San Francisco, Music@Menlo, and the Ravinia and Caramoor festivals.

The Escher Quartet achieved critical success last season in their performances of the entire cycle of string quartets by Bela Bartok in single concert format, both at Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival. Their Bartok project was featured in the New Yorker in a substantial report by Alex Ross. Recently, the Escher quartet has had successful releases of multiple albums -including string quartets by Pierre Jalbert and the Escher’s studio recording of the complete Janacek quartets and Pavel Haas quartet no. 2 with multi award winning percussionist Colin Currie (BIS Label). Recordings of the complete Mendelssohn quartets and beloved romantic quartets of Dvorak, Borodin and Tchaikovsky were released on the BIS label in 2015-18 and received with the highest critical acclaim, with comments such as “…eloquent, full-blooded playing… The four players offer a beautiful blend of individuality and accord” (BBC Music Magazine). In 2019, DANCE, an album of quintet’s with Grammy award winning guitarist Jason Vieaux, was enthusiastically received. In 2021, the Escher’s recording of the complete quartets of Charles Ives and Samuel Barber was met with equal excitement, including “A fascinating snapshot of American quartets, with a recording that is brilliantly detailed, this is a first-rate release all around” (Strad Magazine). The quartet has also recorded the complete Zemlinsky String Quartets in two volumes, released on the Naxos label in 2013 and 2014.

Beyond the concert hall, the Escher Quartet is proud to announce the creation of a new non profit, ESQYRE (Escher String Quartet Youth Residency Education). ESQYRE’s mission as a non-profit classical music organization is to provide a comprehensive educational program through music performance and instruction for people of all ages. In addition to their non-profit work, the quartet has also held faculty positions at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX and the Univerity of Akron, OH.

Within months of its inception in 2005, the ensemble came to the attention of key musical figures worldwide. Championed by the Emerson Quartet, the Escher Quartet was invited by both Pinchas Zukerman and Itzhak Perlman to be Quartet in Residence at each artist’s summer festival: the Young Artists Program at Canada’s National Arts Centre; and the Perlman Chamber Music Program on Shelter Island, NY.

The Escher Quartet takes its name from the Dutch graphic artist M.C. Escher, inspired by Escher’s method of interplay between individual components working together to form a whole.

Escher Quartet’s Website | Instagram | Facebook

The Escher String Quartet has received acclaim for its profound musical insight and rare tonal beauty. A former BBC New Generation Artist and recipient of the Avery Fisher Career Grant, the quartet has performed at the BBC Proms at Cadogan Hall and is a regular guest at Wigmore Hall. In its home town of New York, the ensemble serves as season artists of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.

Highlights of the 205-2026 season find the Escher Quartet performing in many of the great venues and organizations in the United States, including Alice Tully Hall, The Morgan Library, Ensemble Music Society Indianapolis, Buffalo Chamber Music Society, Arte Musica Montreal, Clark Library Los Angeles, and the Savannah Music Festival, among others. In addition to their North American engagements, the quartet returns once again to Wigmore Hall for a BBC live broadcast recital as well as other engagements in Germany and continental Europe.

The Escher Quartet has made a distinctive impression throughout Europe, with recent debuts including the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Berlin Konzerthaus, London’s Kings Place, Slovenian Philharmonic Hall, Les Grands Interprètes Geneva, Tel Aviv Museum of Art, and Auditorium du Louvre. The group has appeared at festivals such as the Heidelberg Spring Festival, Budapest’s Franz Liszt Academy, Dublin’s Great Music in Irish Houses, the Risør Chamber Music Festival in Norway, the Hong Kong International Chamber Music Festival, and the Perth International Arts Festival in Australia. Alongside its growing European profile, the Escher Quartet continues to flourish in its home country, performing at the Aspen Music Festival, Bravo! Vail, Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, Bowdoin Music Festival, Toronto Summer Music, Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival, OKM Festival, Chamber Music San Francisco, Music@Menlo, and the Ravinia and Caramoor festivals.

The Escher Quartet achieved critical success last season in their performances of the entire cycle of string quartets by Bela Bartok in single concert format, both at Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival. Their Bartok project was featured in the New Yorker in a substantial report by Alex Ross. Recently, the Escher quartet has had successful releases of multiple albums -including string quartets by Pierre Jalbert and the Escher’s studio recording of the complete Janacek quartets and Pavel Haas quartet no. 2 with multi award winning percussionist Colin Currie (BIS Label). Recordings of the complete Mendelssohn quartets and beloved romantic quartets of Dvorak, Borodin and Tchaikovsky were released on the BIS label in 2015-18 and received with the highest critical acclaim, with comments such as “…eloquent, full-blooded playing… The four players offer a beautiful blend of individuality and accord” (BBC Music Magazine). In 2019, DANCE, an album of quintet’s with Grammy award winning guitarist Jason Vieaux, was enthusiastically received. In 2021, the Escher’s recording of the complete quartets of Charles Ives and Samuel Barber was met with equal excitement, including “A fascinating snapshot of American quartets, with a recording that is brilliantly detailed, this is a first-rate release all around” (Strad Magazine). The quartet has also recorded the complete Zemlinsky String Quartets in two volumes, released on the Naxos label in 2013 and 2014.

Beyond the concert hall, the Escher Quartet is proud to announce the creation of a new non profit, ESQYRE (Escher String Quartet Youth Residency Education). ESQYRE’s mission as a non-profit classical music organization is to provide a comprehensive educational program through music performance and instruction for people of all ages. In addition to their non-profit work, the quartet has also held faculty positions at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX and the Univerity of Akron, OH.

Within months of its inception in 2005, the ensemble came to the attention of key musical figures worldwide. Championed by the Emerson Quartet, the Escher Quartet was invited by both Pinchas Zukerman and Itzhak Perlman to be Quartet in Residence at each artist’s summer festival: the Young Artists Program at Canada’s National Arts Centre; and the Perlman Chamber Music Program on Shelter Island, NY.

The Escher Quartet takes its name from the Dutch graphic artist M.C. Escher, inspired by Escher’s method of interplay between individual components working together to form a whole.

David Fung’s Website | Instagram | Facebook

Ticket & Discount Information

Chamber Arts Subscriptions and Pick-4 Packages Available Now!*

Chamber Arts Subscriptions: All 8 concerts for $300, 7 for $262.50, and 6 for $225.
Pick-4 Packages: Book 4 or more shows and save 20%.
Single Tickets Available Now!

*Please note: For online Pick-4 orders, seats are automatically chosen based on best availability. To choose specific seats or price levels, please call the Box Office at 919-684-4444.

Tier 1: $47
Tier 2: $35
Students*: $10 (Log in through Shibboleth to access Duke-exclusive discounts)
Duke Employees: 25% Off (Log in through Shibboleth to access Duke-exclusive discounts)

*All high school and college students are eligible for student tickets with valid ID shown at event.

2026-27 Chamber Arts Series