New York Philharmonic String Quartet perform with Anne-Marie McDermott in Beaver Creek as part of Bravo! Vail Music Festival

As part of Bravo! Vail’s ongoing classical music series this summer, the New York Philharmonic String Quartet will perform a special concert, with the festival’s artistic director Anne-Marie McDermott on piano, at Vilar Performing Arts Center Monday.

Having performed together for years as principle players in New York Philharmonic, the quartet possesses a special chemistry.

“It’s a very powerful bond,” Brey said, adding that violinist Alina Kobialka will be substituting for Qian Qian Li, who is on maternity leave. “Alina is a very special talent. She’s a very quick study, as well as an excellent violinist, and she has been able to fit in with us very quickly.”

The evening’s program features two of Dvořák’s works: String Quartet No. 11 in C major, Op. 61 and Piano Quintet No. 2.

“Dvořák is always popular with the audience. His music is so full of color and emotion,” Brey said, talking about how it is intimately tied to his rich folk tradition.

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String Quartet No. 11 has a somewhat interesting story, in that Dvořák composed it under pressure from the Hellmesberger Quartet in about three weeks, but then the quartet couldn’t perform it because its venue burnt down. Instead, the Joachim Quartet debuted it in Berlin. Perhaps due to a pressured deadline, the work borrows from pre-existing pieces. Though the first movement is completely new, the beginning of the second movement stems from a previous sketch from his F-major Violin Sonata, and the themes of the third and fourth movements borrow from motifs from his A-major Polonaise for Cello and Piano.

The New York Philharmonic Quartet loves performing at the Vilar — and greatly appreciates the audience.

“We’ve played many concerts there,” Brey said, commenting on its design, which caters to chamber music. “It’s a much smaller, more appropriate venue (than Ford Amphitheater) for smaller ensembles. It’s a fantastic audience. The first time we played there, we performed Shostakovich’s ninth string quartet, which is not the easiest to listen to, and it got the biggest audience response. It’s a sophisticated audience that loves to listen to music.”