The Arcadia Quartet believes Mieczysław Weinberg's music is like a 'glow of light surrounded by the darkness of the unknown' and aims to bring it to its rightful place in music history.
Composition History
Weinberg's Tenth Quartet was composed in a friendly competition with Dmitri Shostakovich, who had just finished his own Tenth Quartet and dedicated it to Weinberg.
Recording & Production
This recording uses 24-bit / 96 kHz technology, which offers a dynamic range up to 48 dB greater and 256 times the resolution of standard 16-bit recordings.
Composer Biography
Mieczysław Weinberg, the composer, dedicated his Tenth Quartet to Olga Rakhalskaya, a friend of his daughter's, who later became his second wife.
Compositional Technique
Weinberg's Twelfth Quartet, dedicated to Shostakovich's pupil Veniamin Basner, incorporates twelve-note elements, following the example of Shostakovich and other Soviet composers.
Performer Biography
The Arcadia Quartet, the performers on this album, have won multiple international chamber music competitions, including the Wigmore Hall International String Quartet Competition in 2012.
Compositional Technique
Weinberg's String Quartet No. 17, his final work in the medium, is liberally strewn with allusions to his earlier music, including a chorale-like progression symbolizing innocent idealism.
