Takács Quartet with Jeremy Denk

Cal Performances audience favorite, the superlative Takács Quartet returns to Berkeley in two performances this season, welcoming the ensemble’s newest member, cellist Mihai Marica. In the fall, the stellar combination of pianist Jeremy Denk—winner of a MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship and the Avery Fisher Prize—and the Grammy-winning quartet promises music-making of unparalleled virtuosity and deep emotional intelligence. The program features a work by Berkeley native Gabriela Lena Frank—who this year won both the Pulitzer Prize for Music and was named Composer of the Year by Musical America—that explores the extravagant delusions of Cervantes’ Don Quixote. And the Romantic composer César Franck’s searing and sensual Piano Quintet in F minor showcases Denk’s passionate side.