With a varied repertoire and atypical seating, the Rhapsodie Quartet strung new life into the Young Auditorium Tuesday Oct. 8.

The concert featured two UW-Whitewater faculty members, pianist Karen Boe and vocalist Rachel Wood. The ensemble is comprised of members of the Madison Symphony Orchestra.

While seating in Young Auditorium is often below the stage on the main floor rows, for this performance, there were rows of seats moved onto the stage itself.

The group performed three pieces, the first two with Boe and Wood, with the last piece being solely the string quartet.

The first piece was Gabriel Fauré’s “‘La Bonne Chanson’ opus 61” with lyrics by Paul Verlaine. There were nine movements in the piece, all performed vocally in French, with the string quartet and the pianist serving as accompaniment. The movements took on a haunting and lonely feel, exploring the topics of love, loneliness and nature.

The second piece was Samuel Barber’s “‘Dover Beach’ opus 3.” Written during Barber’s time as a student, this piece equally touched on all instruments, truly fitting in to the chamber music genre.

The musical themes of the piece fit into the beach vibe of swelling tides and crashing waves, as well as having the piece feel haunting in nature, as though something isn’t quite right.

After intermission, the quartet came out for Edward Grieg’s “‘String Quartet No.1 in g minor,’ opus 27.” The piece shifted between more happy, upbeat tones to warmer and darker ones.     

The Rhapsodie Quartet left audiences with an unforgettable, heart-tugging night of music.