The Quatuor Manfred was founded by graduates of prestigious international music schools, including the Paris Conservatory, the Juilliard School, and the Geneva Conservatory.
Composition History
Schumann composed his first string quartet in A minor, Op. 41 No. 1, in just four days in June 1842, inspired by classical models.
Critical Reception
Schumann's Op. 41 quartets were not well-received in France, with critics like Paul Scudo finding them to have a "great paucity of ideas" and Adolphe Botte calling them "bizarre."
Composer's Artistic Vision
The character of Manfred, a modern Prometheus, embodies man's revolt against life and communication with the invisible world, inspiring both Schumann and Tchaikovsky.
Composer Biography
Tchaikovsky composed his three string quartets between 1871 and 1876 while he was a professor of harmony at the Moscow Conservatory.
Album & Artwork
The album title and the Quatuor Manfred's name are inspired by "Manfred," a dramatic poem by Lord Byron, a key figure of European Romanticism.
Composer Biography
Robert Schumann dedicated his three string quartets, Op. 41, to Felix Mendelssohn and presented them to his wife, Clara Wieck, for her birthday.
You might also enjoy...
Braunfels: String Quartets Nos. 1 & 2
Strauss: String Quartet in A Major Op.2 - Kreisler: String Quartet in A Minor
Bruch: Complete String Quartets
Capriccios
Mendelssohn: String Quartet in a Minor, Op. 13
Bach, J.S.: The Art of Fugue - Emerson String Quartet
Mendelssohn: String Quartet in a Minor, Op. 13 / Berg: Lyric Suite
Szymanowski: String Quartet No. 2, Op. 56 - Beethoven: String Quartet No. 1 in F Major, Op. 18 No. 1
Ries: String Quartets, Vol. 1
Bach, J.S.: The Art of Fugue - Emerson String Quartet
