Beethoven - String Quartet No. 12 in E-flat Major, Op. 127
Beethoven - String Quartet No. 15 in A minor, Op. 132

Making their fifth appearance at SMF (and first since the 2012 season), this all-Beethoven concert marks the first time Savannah audiences can see the renowned Emerson String Quartet with new cellist Paul Watkins in action. The arrival of Watkins in 2013 has had a profound effect on the Emerson Quartet. Watkins, a distinguished soloist, award-winning conductor and devoted chamber musician, joined the ensemble in its 37th season, and his dedication and enthusiasm have infused the Quartet with a warm, rich tone and a palpable joy in the collaborative process. The reconfigured group has been greeted with impressive accolades.

“One of the characteristics of the Emerson Quartet is that its players all have the ability and the instruments to produce a sweet and glossy sound‚Äîbut do so sparingly. Instead, they establish a chromatic scale of timbres that range from dry and tart over clean and zesty all the way to lustrous and singing.” —The New York Times

Eugene Drucker, violin
Philip Setzer, violin
Lawrence Dutton, viola
Paul Watkins, cello