A Thousand Cranes

Arneis presents the Boston premiere of Elena Ruehr’s String Quartet No. 7 alongside works by Bartok and Dvorak.

Concert 3/5 in the Looking Back, Moving Forward series.

Note from Elena Ruehr: “Co-commissioned by the Arneis, Delgani and Quartet Nouveau String Quartets, my String Quartet No. 7 is subtitled A Thousand Cranes.  The title was inspired by conversations with Kimberlee Uwate, violist of the Delgani Quartet. During World War II the American government forced Kimberlee’s family, who are of Japanese descent, to move to an internment camp.  This story evoked memories of my own father’s experience escaping Nazi Germany when the US entered WWII. My String Quartet No. 7 explores the experiences and resiliency of children of war. Kimberlee directed me to a lovely children’s book she had read, A Place Where Sunflowers Grow, by Amy Lee-Tai, which begins with a young girl playing on a swing in her back yard, then depicts her experience in an internment camp.  I also spent hours on swings as a child, and this string quartet begins with that: 2 minutes of swinging, the joy of movement and moments where the rhythm is made precarious from swinging too high. After this, there are mini “movements” (all played without pause), beginning with a sense of foreboding and moving to sorrow, expressed in lyrical mini cadenzas by each instrument (who I think of as mother, father, sister and brother).  Then trouble sets in, offset by a slower sense of sadness. Finally, the piece ends where it began: on a swing set, perhaps returned home, but now that pure joy is altered with a sense of change and growth.”Tickets are $25 for general admission. Free for students (with ID).