Ruth Crawford Seeger's String Quartet uses fragmented, atonal motives that exploit the highest and lowest ranges of the instruments, with extreme and frequently changing dynamic contrasts.
Composition History
Leoš Janáček's String Quartet No. 2, 'Intimate Letters,' was originally subtitled 'Love Letters' and directly reflects his intense love for Kamila Stösslová, a woman 38 years his junior.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Paul Hindemith, composer of String Quartet No. 4, was a leader in the 'New Objectivity' movement, advocating for discipline and organization in music, rooted in old traditions but with a less opulent sound.
Composer Biography
Ruth Crawford Seeger, the composer of the String Quartet, was the first woman to win a Guggenheim Fellowship for study in Europe.
Performer Biography
The Pacifica Quartet, the ensemble on this recording, was the second chamber music ensemble ever to be awarded a prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant.
Compositional Technique
Janáček's String Quartet No. 2 features almost constant shifts of tempo, sometimes covering just a few measures, to reflect the sudden changes of feeling in a love affair.
Composer Biography
Leoš Janáček, the oldest composer on this album, spent his first 60 years in obscurity as an organist, choir director, teacher, and folk-music researcher in Brno.
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Berg, A.: String Quartet / Janacek, L.: String Quartet No. 2, "Intimate Letters" / Dutilleux, H.: Ainsi La Nuit
