Wayne Peterson was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in Music in 1992 for his orchestral work, The Face of the Night, the Heart of the Dark, commissioned by the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra.
Composer Biography
Wayne Peterson, the composer of the string quartets on this album, was born in 1927 in Albert Lea, Minnesota, and has lived in San Francisco since 1960.
Performer Biography
The Alexander String Quartet, the performers on this album, became the first string quartet to win the Concert Artists Guild Competition in 1982 and the London International String Quartet Competition in 1985.
Instruments
The instruments used for this recording are the Ellen M. Egger String Quartet, a set of four stringed instruments made by Francis Kuttner in 1987, loaned to promising students and reunited annually for a concert.
Composition History
String Quartet No. 2 by Wayne Peterson was dedicated to the Alexander String Quartet, who perform on this album, and was commissioned by Composers, Inc. with a grant from the Wallace A. Gerbode Foundation.
Composer's Artistic Vision
For his String Quartet No. 3 'Pop Sweet', composer Wayne Peterson aimed for a radical stylistic departure, writing music that is tonal, consonant, and more traditional in construction, with clear and direct expression.
Recording & Production
This album assembles the complete string quartets of Wayne Peterson and was recorded at St Stephen's Church, Belvedere, California, in July 2006, with Wayne Peterson and the Alexander String Quartet as producers.
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