SANTA MONICA—The Soundwaves concert series at the Santa Monica Public Library (SMPL) will welcome four in-demand professionals for a performance of Olivier Messiaen’s 1941 masterpiece, “Quartet for the End of Time,” on Wednesday, September 20, at 7:30 p.m. in the Main Library’s Martin Luther King Jr. Auditorium, according to a press release from the city of Santa Monica.
Jacqueline Suzuki (violin), James Sullivan (clarinet), Susan Svrcek (piano), and Lynn Angebranndt (cello) came together to perform this “beautiful, challenging, and historic” piece, which they have presented many times around Southern California, according to the press release. They have performed with the Long Beach Symphony, the Santa Barbara symphony, Ensemble Green, MESTO, and the Brad Dutz Quartet, among other groups. They have held solo performances and appeared on the prestigious Piano Spheres series.
In 1939, devout Catholic organist and composer Olivier Messiaen was drafted into the French army at the age of 31. He was eventually captured and imprisoned in Stalag VIII-A in Görlitz, Germany, where he composed the quartet for violin, clarinet, piano, and cello, inspired by the Book of Revelations. “Quartet for the End of Time” (Quatour pour la fin du Temps) premiered on January 15, 1941, to an audience of 400 prisoners and guards. Cellist Etienne Pasquier, clarinetist Henri Akoka, and violinist Eugène Jean Le Boulaire were among the quartet who first performed the composition.
The event is free and open to the public. Seating is limited and on a first-arrival basis. The Santa Monica Public Library is wheelchair accessible. For other disabled services, call Library Administration at (310) 458-8606 at least one week prior to the event. For additional information, visit www.smpl.org or contact the library at (310) 458-8600.
The monthly Soundwaves concert series presents artists who appear on the DRAM (Database of Recorded American Music) streaming service. The Santa Monica Public Library is the first public library to offer this service to its cardholders. Listings of past and upcoming Soundwaves shows, along with sound and video recordings, can be found at www.SoundwavesNewMusic.com.
