Staff Reports
SAFFORD – The David M. Player Center for the Arts in Safford is set to host a captivating evening of chamber music tonight, Wednesday, Feb. 4, featuring the acclaimed Beo String Quartet. This performance marks a highlight of the Gila Valley Arts Council’s 40th anniversary season and brings one of the first full string quartet concerts to the venue in years, promising an intimate yet powerful experience in the 250-seat Recital Hall.
The Beo String Quartet — violinists Jason Neukom and Andrew Giordano, violist Gabe Bolkosky, and cellist Ryan Ash — presents a program spanning centuries of masterful string writing, blending timeless classics with contemporary innovation. The evening opens with Johann Sebastian Bach’s profound Contrapunctus No. 1 from The Art of Fugue, a work of intricate counterpoint that showcases the quartet’s precision and unity. As violist Ryan Ash notes in the program notes, this piece reveals each instrument’s independent voice while weaving them into a harmonious whole — a perfect metaphor for the art of string quartet playing.
Next comes Missy Mazzoli’s vibrant Enthusiasm Strategies (2019), composed for the Kronos Quartet as part of their “Fifty for the Future” initiative. Praised as one of New York’s most inventive composers, Mazzoli creates music that “must[ers] enthusiasm and joy,” shifting from cascading harmonics to ecstatic chorales. This modern work highlights Beo’s commitment to championing living composers alongside the greats.
Following intermission, the program features Claude Debussy’s groundbreaking String Quartet in G minor, Opus 10 (1893), a single masterpiece that redefined the genre with its shimmering textures, exotic scales, and cyclic design. Debussy’s only numbered quartet broke from Romantic traditions, introducing Impressionist colors and sensations that still feel fresh and revolutionary.
The concert culminates in Ludwig van Beethoven’s exhilarating String Quartet No. 9 in C major, Opus 59, No. 3 (“Razumovsky”), a radiant cornerstone of his middle period. From its mysterious, dissonant opening to the triumphant, fugue-like finale, this epic work radiates heroic energy and structural brilliance, earning its place among Beethoven’s most uplifting chamber creations.
The Beo String Quartet appears by arrangement with Lisa Sapinkopf Artists, www.chambermuse.com.
Celebrating its 10th anniversary, the Beo String Quartet has earned widespread acclaim for its daring, genre-defying approach. Founded in 2015 by Mexican-American brothers Sean and Jason Neukom, the ensemble combines rigorous classical training with adventurous programming, including more than 65 world premieres and collaborations with composers such as Missy Mazzoli and Richard Danielpour. Critics rave about their “absolute purity of intonation,” “supernatural oneness,” and “sheer expressive force,” and compare their performances to those of the finest 21st-century quartets. Their sound — described as “grainy with a touch of velvet, robust and woody” — brings passion and technical mastery to every note.
This special evening offers Safford and Gila Valley residents a rare opportunity to experience world-class chamber music close to home. Whether you’re a longtime classical enthusiast or new to the string quartet repertoire, this program promises intellectual depth, emotional resonance, and pure delight.
Tickets are available through the David M. Player Center for the Arts box office or online at saffordcfa.ticketleap.com. Don’t miss this inspiring performance — secure your seats today and join the celebration of music that bridges centuries and touches the heart!
