“This piece must be performed in complete darkness. No music stand lamps and no emergency lighting. The instrumentalists are positioned in the four corners of the room.”

So begin the instructions to the transcendent Third String Quartet of Austrian composer Georg Friedrich Haas. By eliminating a visual connection with the space and performers, ears and the aural imagination are stimulated. While the quartet explores microtonality and shimmering overtone chords, a quotation from Gesualdo and melodies reminiscent of Webern occasionally shine through. The JACK Quartet, who delivered one “of the most memorable classical music presentations of 2008,” according to the New York Times, makes its Los Angeles debut.

This concert will be performed on two dates due to limited seating at the Neighborhood Church in Pasadena.