There must be something in human nature that pleases us in the idea that good things come in threes.
Even so, this afternoon on The Classical Network, I’ll be interviewing violinist Frederick Lifsitz, one of four musicians that comprise the very fine Alexander String Quartet.
The Alexander Quartet will appear on Thursday at 8 p.m. at the Baruch Performing Arts Center in New York City. On the program will be works of Mozart, Penderecki, and Dvořák. The concert will cap a day of lectures and panel discussions on the topic of Poland and the Jewish people, to coincide with the observation of Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day in Israel. The Alexander’s recital will include Penderecki’s poignant String Quartet No. 3 “Leaves of an Unwritten Diary.”
The Alexander Quartet has been Baruch’s quartet-in-residence since 1986. My interview with Lifsitz will take place at 5:00 this afternoon.
But if “three” is indeed your thing, then there will be plenty else to satisfy your organizational impulses, including the observations of the birthdays today of three notable conductors – Sir Thomas Beecham, Sir Malcolm Sargent, and Zubin Mehta – and three American composers – Wallingford Riegger, Harold Shapero, and Duke Ellington.
I hope you’ll join me today from 4 to 7 p.m. EDT (that’s THREE hours), with the interview at 5. We’ll take the time to count our musical blessings, on WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org.