This is the place to watch complete live coverage of the 2016 Banff International String Quartet Competition (BISQC), taking place from Aug. 29 to Sept. 4 at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity.
Ten string quartets representing nine countries will compete for more than $70,000 in prizes, including the coveted $25,000 first prize. Performances happen daily at the Eric Harvie Theatre.
All 10 quartets will compete in the recital round (Haydn plus a 20th-century work), the Romantic round (complete work from the Romantic period), the Canadian commission round (new work by composer Zosha Di Castri) and the ad-lib round (a selection of music of their own choosing, totalling no more than 30 minutes.) Three quartets will advance to the final round to perform a quartet by Beethoven or Schubert.
Watch the live webcasts below; scroll down for the detailed schedule.
Webcast schedule (all times local)
Recital round
Quartets must perform a recital of Haydn and a 20th-century work.
Monday, Aug. 29, 2 p.m.
Argus Quartet (U.S.)
- Franz Joseph Haydn: String Quartet, Op. 76, No. 5
- Béla Bartók: String Quartet No. 4, Sz. 91
Aeolus Quartet (U.S.)
- Franz Joseph Haydn: String Quartet, Op. 64, No. 6
- Béla Bartók: String Quartet No. 6, Sz. 114
Monday, Aug. 29, 7:30 p.m.
Tesla Quartet (Russia/South Korea/U.S.)
- Franz Joseph Haydn: String Quartet, Op. 33, No. 1
- Béla Bartók: String Quartet No. 6, Sz. 114
Verona Quartet (Canada/Singapore/U.S.)
- Franz Joseph Haydn: String Quartet, Op. 50, No. 1
- Béla Bartók: String Quartet No. 5, Sz. 102
Tuesday, Aug. 30, 10:30 a.m.
Rolston String Quartet (Canada)
- Franz Joseph Haydn: String Quartet, Op. 77, No. 1
- Leoš Janáček: String Quartet No. 2, “Intimate Letters”
Castalian String Quartet (U.K.)
- Franz Joseph Haydn: String Quartet, Op. 76, No. 1
- Béla Bartók: String Quartet No. 6, Sz. 114
Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2 p.m.
Quartet Arpa (Japan)
- Franz Joseph Haydn: String Quartet, Op. 33, No. 2
- Béla Bartók String Quartet No. 5, Sz. 102
Omer Quartet (U.S.)
- Franz Joseph Haydn: String Quartet, Op. 76, No. 5
- Leoš Janáček: String Quartet No. 1, “Kreutzer Sonata”
Tuesday, Aug. 30, 7:30 p.m.
Ulysses Quartet (Canada/Taiwan/U.S.)
- Franz Joseph Haydn: String Quartet, Op. 76, No. 5
- Béla Bartók: String Quartet No. 4, Sz. 91
Quartet Berlin-Tokyo (Israel/Japan)
- Franz Joseph Haydn: String Quartet, Op. 33, No. 4
- Béla Bartók: String Quartet No. 5, Sz. 102
Romantic round
Quartets must perform a complete work from the Romantic or nationalistic repertoire.
Wednesday, Aug. 31, 10:30 a.m.
Tesla Quartet (Russia/South Korea/U.S.)
- Maurice Ravel: Sting Quartet
Argus Quartet (U.S.)
- Jean Sibelius: String Quartet Op. 56, "Voces intimae"
Aeolus Quartet (U.S.)
- Antonin Dvorak: String Quartet No. 14, Op. 105
Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2 p.m.
Castalian String Quartet (U.K.)
- Maurice Ravel: String Quartet
Quartet Berlin-Tokyo (Israel/Japan)
- Johannes Brahms: String Quartet Op. 51 No. 2
Omer Quartet (U.S.)
- Claude Debussy: String Quartet, Op. 10
Ulysses Quartet (Canada/Taiwan/U.S.)
- Johannes Brahms: String Quartet Op. 51, No. 1
Wednesday, Aug. 31, 7:30 p.m.
Rolston String Quartet (Canada)
- Maurice Ravel: String Quartet
Verona Quartet (Canada/Singapore/U.S.)
- Felix Mendelssohn: String Quartet No. 4, Op. 44, No. 2
Quartet Arpa (Japan)
- Johannes Brahms: String Quartet Op. 51 No. 2
Canadian commission round
Quartets must perform the new work by composer Zosha Di Castri, co-commissioned by the Americas Society (New York), the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and BISQC.
Friday, Sept. 2, 2 p.m.
Performance order:
Rolston String Quartet (Canada)
Argus Quartet (U.S.)
Omer Quartet (U.S.)
Ulysses Quartet (Canada/Taiwan/U.S.)
Quartet Berlin-Tokyo (Israel/Japan)
Castalian String Quartet (U.K.)
Verona Quartet (Canada/Singapore/U.S.)
Quartet Arpa (Japan)
Tesla Quartet (Russia/South Korea/U.S.)
Aeolus Quartet (U.S.)
Ad lib round
Quartets must perform a selection of work of their own choosing, totalling no more than 30 minutes.
Saturday, Sept. 3, 10:30 a.m.
Quartet Arpa (Japan)
- Ludwig van Beethoven: String Quartet No.10, Op. 74
Castalian String Quartet (U.K.)
- Thomas Adès: The Four Quarters Op. 28 (mvt. 1)
- Johannes Brahms: String Quartet No. 3, Op. 67 (mvt. 3)
- Thomas Adès: The Four Quarters Op. 28 (mvt. 2)
- Robert Schumann: String Quartet No. 1 Op. 41 (mvt. 3)
- Thomas Adès: The Four Quarters Op. 28 (mvt. 4)
Verona Quartet (Canada/Singapore/U.S.)
- Anton Webern: Six Bagatelles for String Quartet, Op. 9
- György Ligeti: String Quartet No. 1, "Métamorphoses nocturnes"
Saturday, Sept. 3, 2 p.m.
Ulysses Quartet (Canada/Taiwan/U.S.)
- Leoš Janáček: String Quartet No. 2, “Intimate Letters”
Argus Quartet (U.S.)
- Eric Guinivan: String Quartet No. 1
- Garth Knox: Satellites
Tesla Quartet (Russia/South Korea/U.S.)
- Hugo Wolf: Serenade in G major, "Italian Serenade"
- J. Turina: La oración del torero (Prayer of the Bullfighter), Op. 34
- Marcus Goddard: Allaqi
Aeolus Quartet (U.S.)
- Felix Mendelssohn: String Quartet No. 2, Op. 13 (mvt. 1)
- Christopher Theofanidis: Ariel Ascending (mvt. 1)
- Claude Debussy: String Quartet, Op. 10 (mvt. 3)
- Ludwig van Beethoven: String Quartet Op. 59, No. 3 (mvt. 4)
Saturday, Sept. 3, 7:30 p.m.
Quartet Berlin-Tokyo (Israel/Japan)
- Ludwig van Beethoven: String Quartet Op. 95
- Jörg Widmann: Third String Quartet (Hunting Quartet)
Omer Quartet (U.S.)
- Béla Bartók: String Quartet No. 1, Sz. 40
Rolston String Quartet (Canada)
- Franz Schubert: Quartettsatz in C minor, D. 703
- Béla Bartók: String Quartet No. 3, Sz. 85
Final round
Sunday, Sept. 4, 2 p.m.
The three finalists, TBD, perform a quartet by Beethoven or Schubert.
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