Hagen String Quartet, presented by Princeton University Concerts

"One of the finest quartets of our time, the Hagen [Quartet] … comes too rarely to our shores," proclaims the Washington Post. Having recently celebrated its 40th anniversary, the most senior and venerated of the European quartets finally returns to PUC with a program most fitting for the occasion. The infrequency of their American tours makes each visit all the more special - an attribute reflected in the rare beauty of a Haydn string quartet in a minor key and in the startling beauty of Debussy's only string quartet, which they will perform. The ensemble will leave us with one of Beethoven's final works - a masterpiece that set the future of music on a new axis, leaving behind everything that came before. Hearing it performed by the Hagen Quartet, a group that has consistently set a new standard throughout its storied career, similarly promises to be a defining moment in our history. Program: JOSEPH HAYDN Quartet in D Minor, Op. 76, No. 2 "Fifths" CLAUDE DEBUSSY Quartet in G Minor, Op. 10 LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN Quartet No. 14 in C-sharp Minor, Op. 131 Ticket prices are $30-50 general, $10 students