The Ciompi Quartet

George Crumb said that Black Angels “was conceived as a kind of parable on our troubled contemporary world.” Premiered in 1970, it is one of Crumb’s most influential works, with its spooky use of electronics, vocalisations, gongs, and tuned glasses into the string quartet genre. Schubert’s D minor Quartet “Death and the Maiden” whose famous theme George Crumb interpolated into Black Angels, has an air of dark prophecy as well, yet its exuberant moments can still transport the listener far above daily struggles.

Free tickets can be reserved at www.dukeperformances.org