String quartet likes the unusual

The Fry Street Quartet will be making its second Salt Lake appearance in less than six months when it performs tonight in the Cathedral of the Madeleine.

"We're looking forward to playing there," said second violinist Rebecca McFaul.

Founded in Chicago in 1997, the Fry Street Quartet — or FSQ, as it is known — is the resident string quartet at Utah State University. The ensemble was recently honored with a Marie Eccles Caine Foundation Young Scholars Award of $30,000 to promote teaching, research and outreach programs related to the arts.

Even though FSQ hasn't been a frequent guest at Salt Lake venues, the group does perform regularly in Logan, as well as throughout the United States and Europe. When the Deseret Morning News spoke by phone with McFaul, she and fellow quartet members Russell Fallstad, viola, and Anne Francis, cello, had just returned from a concert in New Mexico. (First violinist Jessica Guideri was unable to join her colleagues for that concert since she is recuperating from surgery. McFaul said that Guideri will be able to take part in tonight's concert.)

"I took over Jessica's part," McFaul said, referring to the New Mexico concert. "We had a very talented local violinist play second violin." At first, they thought they would need to cancel the concert. "But the presenter said that there's always a solution to any problem."

The three left for New Mexico a few days earlier than they usual to rehearse with their new partner. They also had to change their program in order to play works that the four had in common. "It worked, and the concert was successful."

Tonight's concert in the cathedral features three works that FSQ enjoys playing — Haydn's Quartet in D minor, op. 9, no. 4; Britten's Quartet No. 1, and Dvorak's Quartet in A flat major, op. 105.

Noting that the Haydn and Britten quartets aren't often performed in concert, McFaul said the foursome tries to program works that are a bit out of the ordinary. "We try to put stuff together that other quartets don't play."

McFaul considers Haydn's D minor Quartet as the first significant work in the genre. "I think it's the first truly great string quartet. That's why we like to do it."

Written in 1771, it stems from the first decade in Haydn's compositional output. "It's first-violin heavy," McFaul said, "and more baroque than classical, but it's just beautiful." She said that one can already discern Haydn's genius in the music. "That's evident in the lyricism of the slow movement and in the punchy minuet."