The album is part of 'Proyecto Conrado', an ambitious initiative launched in 2021 to program the first complete cycle of Conrado del Campo's thirteen string quartets.
Composer Biography
Conrado del Campo spent nearly twenty-five years as principal viola of the orchestra of Madrid's Teatro Real, gaining an in-depth understanding of operatic idioms like Wagner's.
Composer Biography
Conrado del Campo (1878-1953) is described as one of the most original but least well-known Spanish composers of the first half of the twentieth century.
Composition History
There was a thirty-year hiatus in Conrado del Campo's string quartet composition between Quartet No. 8 (1913) and Quartet No. 9 (1942), partly due to his focus on opera.
Recording & Production
This album features world premiere recordings of Conrado del Campo's String Quartets Nos. 8 and 9, and the Intermezzo-Scherzo sobre el apellido Mi-la-nes.
Compositional Technique
The Intermezzo-Scherzo is driven by a three-note motif (E-A-E flat) based on the surname Milanes, which is developed and adapted throughout the work.
Composition History
The Intermezzo-Scherzo on the surname Mi-la-nes was likely written as a thank you to John H. Milanes, the British consul in Madrid, who helped find the composer's son during the Civil War.
