(Above: The Delgani String Quartet; left to right, Wyatt True, Jannie Wei, Kimberlee Uwate, and Eric Alterman)

By Randi Bjornstad

The Delgani String Quartet’s fourth season gets underway Oct. 28 and 30 with a program called Bold Impressions that begins with a single-movement work by Franz Schubert, titled Quartettsatz.

It’s an approximately nine-minute, energetic and melodic allegro assai movement that Schubert composed in 1820 as the first in what was to have been his 12th string quartet. But for reasons that remain unknown, he abandoned the project partway through the second, andante, movement.

Some speculate that the first movement was so strong that Schubert felt he could not follow it with anything its equal. Others believe he for some reason went on to other things and never returned to it. In any case, Schubert eventually did write three more string quartets, labeled 13, 14, and 15. But the first movement of the 12th, in C minor, stands alone.

It was Johannes Brahms who rescued the score and first performed the movement nearly a half-century later, in 1867.

From the mysterious Quartettsatz, Delgani moves to two centennial celebrations, the first being Polish independence and the second the 100th anniversary year of the death of composer Claude Debussy.

These milestones will be marked with Karol Szymanowski’s String Quartet No. 2, followed by Debussy’s Quartet in G Minor.

The season continues in January with a program called Musical Icons, with works by Franz Joseph Haydn, Dmitri Shostakovich and Ludwig van Beethoven. The quartet will be joined at those performances by Tom Stone, the founding violinist of the Cypress String Quartet, which has played throughout the world and recorded 15 albums.

In March, Delgani String Quartet returns to the stage with Memories of Prague, commemorating the group’s European debut in the Czech Republic in September. Performed works by Antonin Dvořák , Erwin Schulhoff, and Portland-based composer Tomas Svoboda make up that program.

The season ends in May with Mozart’s Clarinet, during which guest clarinetist Wonkak Kim joins the group to play celebrated quintets by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ellen Taaffe Zwilich. That program will open with Samuel Barber’s quartet, including his famous Adagio. Kim, who has performed around the world, including many of the most venerable concert venues in the United States, now is assistant professor of clarinet at the University of Oregon.

The permanent members of the Delgani String Quartet are violinists Jannie Wei and Wyatt True, violist Kimberlee Uwate, and cellist Eric Alterman.

Since its incorporation as a non-profit organization in 2014, Delgani has conducted more than 200 concerts and educational programs throughout the region, including musical series in Eugene, Salem, and Portland. The group presents two summer camps for students, and offers weekend chamber music retreats for adult amateurs.

For information about the group and its activities, go online to delgani.org

Delgani String Quartet’s season at a glance

October 28 and 30 — Bold Impressions

  • When: 3 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 28 and 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct 30
  • Where: United Lutheran Church, 2230 Washington St., Eugene
  • Program: Franz Schubert’s Quartettsatz; Karol Szymanowski’s String Quartet No. 2; Claude Debussy’s Quartet in G Minor
  • Tickets: $28 per ticket, $10 for students; season tickets $90 ($40 for students); available at delgani.org or 541-579-5882

January 13 and 15 — Musical Icons

  • When: 3 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 13 and 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 15
  • Where: Temple Beth Israel, 1175 E. 29th Ave., Eugene
  • Program: Franz Joseph Haydn’s Qurtet in D Major, Opus 76/5; Dmitri Shostakovich’s Quartet in D Major, Opus 83; and Ludwig van Beethoven’s Quartet in F Major, Opus 18/1; and featuring guest violinist Tom Stone
  • Tickets:
  • $28 per ticket, $10 for students; available at delgani.org or 541-579-5882

March 10 and 12 — Memories of Prague

  • When: 3 p.m. on Sunday, March 10 and 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 12
  • Where: United Lutheran Church, 2230 W. 22nd St., Eugene
  • Program: Works by Antonin Dvořák; Erwin Schulhoff; and Portland-based composer Tomas Svoboda
  • Tickets: $28 per ticket, $10 for students; available at delgani.org or 541-579-5882

May 12 and 14 — Mozart’s Clarinet

  • When: 3 p.m. on Sunday, May 12 and 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 14
  • Where: Temple Beth Israel, 1175 E. 29th Ave., Eugene
  • Program: Samuel Barber’s String Quartet, including the Adagio; and quartets by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ellen Taaffe Zwilich; and featuring guest clarinetist Wonkak Kim
  • Tickets: $28 per ticket, $10 for students; available at delgani.org or 541-579-5882