The Emerson String Quartet Performs Tchaikovsky’s Souvenir de Florence
David Finckel in his final New York performance with the Emerson Quartet
On May 6, WQXR presented the Emerson String Quartet in The Greene Space — the ensemble’s final New York performance with longtime cellist David Finckel.
WQXR host Jeff Spurgeon asked Finckel about his decision to leave the quartet after making over 40 recordings and collecting nine Grammy Awards with the ensemble over 34 years.
“I’ve been so fortunate to have these gentlemen as my colleagues and companions exploring such incredible literature, but at a certain point, I looked at my life,” he said, likening his decision to mountain climbing. “It doesn’t matter how many times you’ve climbed Mount Everest, if there are more mountains up there in the clouds that you haven’t explored, there’s an urge to go up.”
They were joined on stage by Paul Neubauer on viola and Colin Carr on cello. Here, watch their performance of Tchaikovsky’s Souvenir de Florence.
