TSQ’s Next groupmuse Event will be a Massivemuse

Readers may recall that about two months ago the Thalea String Quartet (TSQ) gave a groupmuse “house concert” at the Joe Goode Annex in preparation for a run of shows based on their collaborating with the Joe Goode Performance Group. Team Groupmuse has now announced their next event under groupmuse auspices, and this time it will be a Massivemuse. For those unfamiliar with the terminology, a Massivemuse is an “extra big, extra special” groupmuse performance, usually presented in a venue that will accommodate a larger audience.

Brady Anderson is still serving as interim cellist; and he will be performing with TSQ founders Luis Bellorin on viola, Kumiko Sakamoto on second violin, and Christopher Whitley on first violin, shown below in left-to-right order:

courtesy of the Thalea String Quartet

The program will, appropriately enough, be a massive undertaking. The ensemble will play Ludwig van Beethoven’s Opus 130 quartet in B-flat major in the version the Beethoven originally intended. In other words they will play the first five movements of the quartet in the version in which it was published; but the work will conclude with the Opus 133 “Große Fuge” (great fugue), rather than the much shorter Finale movement that Beethoven wrote at the request of his publisher to replace that fugue. Those who follow either TSQ or groupmuse regularly know that the group played Opus 133 by itself as part of the groupmuse recital they gave at Joe Goode Annex.

TSQ is not the first string quartet to explore this approach. When the Cypress String Quartet recorded their complete cycle of the Beethoven quartets, the CD for Opus 130 had the “Große Fuge” follow the fifth movement, while the Finale movement that was subsequently written was relegated to a “bonus track” as an “Alternate finale.” However, TSQ’s decision is still a major undertaking, as much for those who give Beethoven seriously attentive listening as for the players themselves.

This performance will begin at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, August 25. The venue will be the atrium of Z Space, which is located in NEMIZ (the NorthEast Mission Industrial Zone) at 450 Florida Street (not far from the Joe Goode Annex). Admission will be $20 with a $5 discount for supporting Supermusers. The Web page for this event includes a map showing the location of Z Space and a hyperlink for advance purchase of tickets. However, Web-based transactions require creating a Groupmuse account, which will be password-protected. Finally, Z Space has a bar in its atrium; so drinks at this particular event. Because there will be alcoholic options, all ticket-holders must be aged 21 or older.