It is with great joy that we announce the union of the
Classical Unbound Festival with the Ironwood String Quartet.
Perhaps this was meant to be. The festival and quartet were born around the same time, and out of the same desire: to unbind so-called 'classical' music from its formal attire and bind it more closely to our hearts and souls.
With Jessica Linnebach as co-founder of both festival and quartet it was inevitable the two would cross paths. Ironwood's concerts at Classical Unbound in 2017 made our common direction clear; now as its new artistic directors, we're excited to be taking the next steps. It's still the same festival, just paired with a new dance partner.
Think Cabernet Sauvignon with a juicy steak, Chardonnay with salmon… the best pairings don’t simply fit well together, they stimulate and provoke each other.
Musical pairings function in much the same way; we experience the sublime Ravel quartet very differently if we’ve just heard an early Haydn quartet, as opposed to having just listened to Bryce Dessner’s wild “Aheym”. At Classical Unbound, our aim is to present programs that provoke not only pleasure, but also thought. To introduce old music to young people, and young music to old people; to pair compositions from across the centuries and across genres together in a way that makes us all feel more human.
Music is so different from the visual arts: at a museum, visitors wander from painting to painting at their own pace- while at a concert, we’re all in it together. The music washes over us and we have no choice but to digest it as it comes. Of course, a glass of wine always helps…
