Thalea String Quartet Probes Chamber Music History at Morrison Artists Series

SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE -- Now comes composer Vincent Calianno to put it all into perspective. His new work is titled, with a delicious sense of whimsy, A History of the String Quartet in Its Natural Habitat, and it is slated for its world premiere in a free concert by the Thalea String Quartet.

Also on the program, which is part of San Francisco State University’s Morrison Artists Series, are quartets by Haydn and Shostakovich — presumably part of the natural history Calianno is intent on outlining.

Thalea String Quartet: 3 p.m. Sunday, December 2. Free. McKenna Theatre, San Francisco State University. 415-338-2467. http://morrison.sfsu.edu.