Full-on ecstasy. Unapologetically romantic. Shockingly beautiful. A bombastic romp.
That鈥檚 how the musicians of the describe the music on their first concerts of the 2024-25 season.
Those concerts take place Saturday, Oct. 12, 4 p.m. at First Community Church South, and Sunday, Oct. 13, 2 p.m., at First Unitarian Universalist Church, in Columbus, on the quartet鈥檚 Randolph A. Foster Seize the Music series. The program features the world premiere of Columbus composer Dr. Mark Lomax II鈥檚 Ubuntu, along with Prokofiev鈥檚 Second String Quartet, Sarah Gibson鈥檚 I do not want horses or diamonds for piano and string quartet and Anton Arensky鈥檚 Piano Quintet in D. Texas-based pianist Michelle Schumann joins the quartet as guest artist.
I met up on Zoom recently with the members of the Carpe Diem String Quartet 鈥� violinists Sam Weiser and Marisa Ishikawa, violist Korine Fujiwara and cellist Ariana Nelson 鈥� to chat about highlights of their upcoming season. Listen to our conversation about the quartet鈥檚 return performance in Carnegie Hall鈥檚 Weill Recital Hall and the culmination of their dynamic .
Launched in 2020 to celebrate the Carpe Diem String Quartet鈥檚 15th anniversary, the project has catalyzed the creation and performance of 15 new string quartet works by some of today鈥檚 most innovative composers.
The 15 for 15 project concludes this season, with the world premiere of Lomax鈥檚 Ubuntu and the Ohio premieres of commissioned works by Laura Kaminsky and Carpe Diem violist Korine Fujiwara.
鈥淲e are鈥搕his season鈥揻inally finishing up our 15 for 15 performances just in time for our 20th birthday next season,鈥� Fujiwara said.
The Carpe Diem String Quartet was formed in Columbus in 2005 and has performed around the world to wide acclaim. The group鈥檚 discography is an eclectic mix of newly commissioned works, hidden string quartet gems and standard quartet repertoire.
Jennifer Hambrick serves on the board of trustees of the Carpe Diem String Quartet.
Transcript of Interview
Jennifer Hambrick: Sam Weiser, Marisa Ishikawa, Korine Fujiwara, and Ariana Nelson, thanks for joining us. It鈥檚 great to see you all!
Sam Weiser: It鈥檚 great to see you, too. Thanks so much for having us.
Jennifer Hambrick: Pleasure, pleasure. So let鈥檚 talk about your season opener. The concert itself is called 鈥淯buntu,鈥� which ties directly in with one of the works on the program, a world premiere by Columbus composer Mark Lomax. Tell us about this work and how it came about.
Korine Fujiwara: Mark Lomax is a longtime friend of the quartet. The first time we met him was 2010, when he was still finishing his doctorate at OSU in composition. And we read a movement of his very first string quartet and really liked it. We had a problem because the music was very, very complicated, and at that time iPads were not a thing for musicians to play. So, we couldn鈥檛 actually figure out a way to do the page turns in the piece. So, we played the one movement that we could lay out on multiple stands. And that piece kind of stayed in the repertoire, stayed in the Carpe Diem library. And we were trying to come up with some really cool program ideas during the pandemic. And we remembered Mark鈥檚 string quartet, and I reached out to him, I said, 鈥淒id anybody ever play the rest of that quartet?鈥� And he said, 鈥淣o, it鈥檚 never been performed since that one time in Goodale Park with Jack and Zoe Johnstone.鈥� They had a series out there in the summertime. And so, I offered that we would do the world premiere of the entire thing on our concert, one of our series concerts that we were doing during the pandemic, livestreamed with an empty hall. We did it and loved it. And a very, very cool voice, very, very interesting rhythms. And thought, well, we should definitely include Mark as one of our 15 for 15 composers. So here we have a second string quartet from Mark Lomax.
Jennifer Hambrick: As I mentioned Ubuntu is the title of this work, so what is the work about?
Ariana Nelson: Ubuntu, I believe, means interconnectedness 鈥� compassion for others.
Sam Weiser: I think one of the things that makes the piece stand out as just immediately special, even before we鈥檝e been playing it together 鈥� and sounds a lot like the first quartet, too 鈥� is, like, the rhythmic interplay, the hocketing between not just the melodic elements of the piece, but also that, like, the groove of it is something that all of us are contributing to in different ways, like, in very evolving ways as the piece progresses. I think it鈥檚 going to be one of the things that makes it tricky to rehearse, but also one of the things that鈥檚 really going to make it pop onstage.
Jennifer Hambrick: Also on your season opener, 2024-25 season opener, Sarah Gibson鈥檚 I do not want horses or diamonds. So it鈥檚 a great title. It鈥檚 very interconnected, if you will, with chamber music鈥檚 past. So, what is this piece about?
Marisa Ishikawa: Yeah, this is a very cool piano quintet written by Sarah Gibson. And I recently heard it for the first time and was able to play it for the first time in New York this past summer at the Chamber Music Conference of the East. And this piece, she calls it I do not want horses or diamonds because it refers to a letter that Clara Schumann wrote to Robert Schumann. It鈥檚 a love letter to him saying that, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 need all these things in my life. I just need you.鈥� It鈥檚 very evocative. It鈥檚 very introspective. It has a really haunting beginning, I think, and it has this incredible climax that ends in a similar character as it began. It鈥檚, again, strings with piano. There鈥檚 a little bit of prepared piano, where the pianist will reach into the soprano strings and pluck them. And that timbre, at the same pitch as the violins at the beginning, is very cool. It鈥檚 something that I really had never heard before. So, she creates just spectacular colors with the different instruments. And very honored to be able to play this again. Sadly, Sarah Gibson did pass away just this summer. And it鈥檚 an honor to be able to play this and give it life and let it, you know, continue to be heard throughout the world. So, excited for that piece.
Jennifer Hambrick: And if I understand correctly, you will be joined by pianist Michelle Schumann for that performance, as well. You鈥檒l also be performing works that are, as of today, at least, of somewhat longer duration 鈥� the Piano Quintet in D by Anton Arensky. Tell us about this one.
Sam Weiser: Well, I think, what makes me love Arensky鈥檚 work is these, like, sprawling, warm harmonies ad these long periods of just, like, full-on ecstasy. And it feels like this quintet is no different. I think for all of us as string players, the cello quartet of his is sort of the piece of his that comes to mind first in our mind. And you hear a lot of similar elements. The way that he evolves melodically and the way that he uses harmony to 鈥� it鈥檚 just so evocative. I don鈥檛 even know 鈥� it鈥檚 鈥� I love it. I鈥檓 really excited to get to work on it. And the last movement is just a bombastic romp. It鈥檚 so good.
Korine Fujiwara: Unapologetically romantic, absolutely over the top wah!
Jennifer Hambrick: And it鈥檚 so wonderful to hear musicians simply come out and say, 鈥淚 just love this piece of music that I鈥檓 going to play.鈥� You鈥檙e also going to be performing Prokofiev鈥檚 Second String Quartet, and this I a cool piece. So, tell us about your experience with this particular piece.
Ariana Nelson: It鈥檚 kind of like rock 鈥榥鈥� roll, sarcastic, biting, at the same time juxtaposed with, like, the most luscious, beautiful, romantic 鈥� just kind of shockingly beautiful and haunting melodies. Like, in the slow movement it does have a really good cello part. There鈥檚 a cello cadenza to look out for in the third movement, so I particularly like that. But it鈥檚 just really fun. And just a little plug 鈥� we will be playing this Prokofiev at Carnegie Hall in February. So, if you like what you hear in Columbus, make sure to get tickets for Carnegie Hall. February 27th.
Jennifer Hambrick: Well, that鈥檚 extremely exciting, exciting news. That will actually be a return performance in Carnegie for the Carpe Diem String Quartet. But it鈥檚 also really exciting for us here in Columbus to be able to preview, to kind of get a sneak peek, if you will, of that return-to-Carnegie program and that performance of Prokofiev鈥檚 Second String Quartet. And biting and sarcastic, but also lusciously beautiful is just absolutely classic Prokofiev. So, again, a super cool piece. Earlier in this conversation, Korine Fujiwara, you mentioned the Carpe Diem String Quartet鈥檚 15 for 15 commissioning project, which has been going on for some time now, and it鈥檚 sort of 鈥� we鈥檙e going to be able to keep enjoying the fruits, if you will, of that project. So, could you talk a little bit about that program, that commissioning program?
Korine Fujiwara: Absolutely. The quartet celebrated its 15th birthday in 2020. And part of the celebration was, we want to commission 15 new works by a wide variety of composers. And so that was our project. We set out and asked 15 different composers to write this music for us. And over the course of the last five years, we鈥檝e been presenting them. It obviously was delayed in its launch, as far as performance, because of the pandemic shutdowns. But we have stayed the course, and we are, I think, this season finally finishing up our 15 for 15 performances just in time for our 20th birthday next season.
Jennifer Hambrick: Once again, I have been speaking with the members of the Carpe Diem String Quartet 鈥� Sam Weiser, Marisa Ishikawa, Korine Fujiwara and Ariana Nelson. We鈥檙e gearing up for the Carpe Diem String Quartet鈥檚 24-25 season opener Oct. 12th and 13th here in Columbus on the quartet鈥檚 Seize the Music Series. And again, it鈥檚 been great speaking with you. Thank you all so much for joining us today. It鈥檚 been fun.
Marisa Ishikawa: Thank you.
Sam Weiser: This was really fun.
Ariana Nelson: Thank you for having us.
