Maurice Ravel's String Quartet in F major was written in 1903 while he was a student at the Paris Conservatory and dedicated to his teacher, Gabriel Fauré.
Historical Context
Paris was a vibrant cultural hub where 'Les Nouveaux Jeunes' gathered with figures like Eric Satie and Jean Cocteau at painter Émile Lejeune's studio for 'Lyre et palettes' events, featuring modern art exhibitions and new music premieres.
Composition History
Germaine Tailleferre composed her first and only string quartet between 1917 and 1919, dedicating it to pianist Arthur Rubinstein.
Historical Context
The album features works by Maurice Ravel and three French composers — Louis Durey, Germaine Tailleferre, and Darius Milhaud — who were part of 'Les Nouveaux Jeunes,' later known as Les Six, and composed their quartets about 16 years after Ravel.
Composition History
Louis Durey's String Quartet No. 1, written in 1917, is dedicated to his friend and fellow 'Les Nouvelles Jeunes' member, Georges Auric.
Composer Biography
Germaine Tailleferre, the only woman in 'Les Six,' struggled with being called a 'woman composer' rather than simply a composer, facing societal limitations throughout her life.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Maurice Ravel, despite often being programmed with 'impressionist' music, strongly rejected that term, viewing himself as a revolutionary composer focused on looking forwards and rejecting 19th-century Germanic traditions.
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