Bottesini: String Quartets in B-Flat Major / F-Sharp Minor / D Major

Featuring

Quartetto Elisa
Giovanni Bottesini

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Composition History

The third of these quartets, in D Major, won the second Basevi Competition of Florence in 1862.

Composer Biography

Giovanni Bottesini, the composer, was a double-bassist, conductor, and opera composer, known for conducting the premiere of Verdi's Aida in Cairo.

Composer's Artistic Vision

For an Italian composer in the 19th century, writing string quartets was an unpopular choice, as it meant giving up the immediate fame offered by opera and appealing to a cultured elite who appreciated Austro-German instrumental music.

Performer Biography

Quartetto Elisa was trained by Franco Rossi, cellist of the famous Quartetto Italiano, and also had frequent contact with other renowned musicians like Salvatore Accardo and the Borodin Quartet.

Composer Biography

Bottesini was an open-minded and modern composer who cultivated both opera and chamber music, and was a co-founder of the 'Quartet Society' of Florence in 1863.