In this interview, we sit down with pianist Maria Asteriadou, and violinist Kurt Nikkanen to talk about their special performance with cellist Zuill Bailey and clarinetist James Logan at the El Paso Pro Musica Chamber Music Festival this Sunday at the Fox Fine Arts Recital Hall.
Quartet for the End of Time was written by composer Olivier Messiaen while he was in a concentration camp in Germany during World War II. The composition is written in eight movements clarinet, violin, cello, and piano that pushed the boundaries of harmony, making it one of the most influential and significant of the 20th century.
Maria Asteriadou has performed in major halls throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe. She is the recipient of multiple awards and prizes and is the only pianist selected from the Musik Hochschule in Freiburg to perform in honor of the composer-conductor Pierre Boulez in Baden Baden, Germany.
Kurt Nikkanen is an international soloist of the highest order. He has had many works written for him, including Steven R. Gerber’s violin concerto He is the Concertmaster of the New York City Ballet Orchestra and maintains a private teaching studio in New York, where he resides with his family.
Both will be playing Quartet for the End of Time with Zuill Bailey on the cello and James Logan on the clarinet on Sunday, January 21, at 2:30 p.m. on UTEP’s Fox Fine Arts Recital Hall.
Additional Info and/or Links:
- To know more about Maria Asteriadou visit: https://www.msmnyc.edu/faculty/maria-asteriadou/
- For more information on Kurt Nikkanen visit: https://kurtnikkanen.com/
- For more information on their performance and tickets visit: https://www.elpasopromusica.org/shows/quartet-for-the-end-of-time
Originally aired on January 17, 2024
