alberto ginastera: string quartets 1 & 2
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ALBERTO GINASTERA (im-ms) STRING QUARTETS I & 2
The Henschel Quartet
Christoph Henschel violin • Markus Henschel violin
Monika Henschel viola • Matthias Beyer-Karlshoj cello
String Quartet No. 1 Op. 20
1. 1. Allegro violente ed agitato 4:30
2. II.Vivacissimo 3:47
3. III. Calmo e poetico 7:19
4. IV.AIIegramente rustico 3:50
String Quartet No. 2 Op. 26
5. 1. Allegro rustico 5:54
6. II. Adagio angoscioso 6:10
7. III. Presto magico 3:48
8. IV. Libero e rapsodico 5:23
9. V. Furioso 4:33
total time 45:26
“(The Henschel Quartet’s) playing is fresh, thoughtful and involving...”
-Gramophone
“This young German ensemble expounds Ginastera’s first two
quartets - the folkloric-Bartokian First and the expressionistic-Bartokian
12-note Second - with ali the affectionate bravura they deserve ”
-BBC Mus/c magazine (★★★★)
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ALBERTO GINASTERA (im-ma) STRING QUARTETS I & 2
The Henschel Quartet
Christoph Henschel violin • Markus Henschel violin
Monika Henschel viola • Matthias Beyer-Karlshoj cello
String Quartet No. 1 Op. 20
1. I.AIIegro violente ed agitato 4:30
2. II.Vivacissimo 3:47
3. III. Calmo e poetico 7:19
4. IV.AIIegramente rustico 3:50
String Quartet No. 2 Op. 26
5. I.AIIegro rustico 5:54
6. II. Adagio angoscioso 6:10
7. III. Presto magico 3:48
8. IV. Libero e rapsodico 5:23
9. V. Furioso 4:33
total time 45:26
ALBERTO GINASTERA STRING QUARTETS I & 2
With Ginastera, born in Buenos Aires in
1916, there began a generation of Argentinian
composers for whom the use of folk elements
from the music of their native land seemed
self-evident. Even in the choice of tities, the
composer’s deep links to his native culture
are ciear, in the Impresiones de Ia Puna
(“Highland Sketches”) for flute and string
quartet as in the Danzas argentines for piano.
Stylistically, Ginastera’s works combine
national characteristics with neo-classical
techniques. His oeuvre is characterized,
however, not merely by folk elements, but by
a profound interaction with new compositional
techniques and the extension of the color
spectrum of individual instruments.
The String Quartet No. I, Op. 20, was
written in 1948; its four-movement form
reveals its organization along classical lines.
The first two movements, Allegro violento ed
agitato and Vivacissimo, are marked by spirited
rhythms. In the third movement, Calmo e
poetico, the first violin spins a cantilena above
the supporting trio. Double-stopped harmonics
enrich the tonal color of this contemplative
movement, and the quartet ends with an
Allegramente rustico. The work had its first
performance in Buenos Aires in 1948; a
decisive moment for the development of the
stili youthful composer, however, was its
successful premiere at the IGNM
(Internationale Gesellschaft fur Neue Musik
[International Society for Contemporary
Music]) Festival in Frankfurt, in 1949, which
made Ginastera known in Europe. The 1948
String Quartet is the first work of Ginastera’s
in which the dominant influence of folk music
is relegated to a subsidiary role in favor of a
closer approach to classical style. His
Argentinian origins were, however, to remain
a constant element in everything he wrote.
The String Quartet No. 2, Op. 26, from
1958, was revised ten years later by the
composer, an indication of his meticulous
craftsmanship.The quartet, which reminds us
of Bela Bartok’s Fifth String Quartet, was
written in response to a commission from
the renowned Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge
Foundation, and is Ginastera’s first work in
twelve-tone style. One may quite explicitly
point to Alban Berg, the youngest member of
the Vienna School, as Ginastera’s exemplar
here. The composer’s search for greater
expressiveness is to be seen in the work’s
five-movement layout, abandoning the
classical four-movement form. An Allegro
rustico and a Furioso comprise, in traditional
form, the outer movements, but a further
quick movement, a Presto magico, stands in
third place at the center of the quartet,
framed by two slower movements, the Allegro
angoscioso and the Libero e rapsodico.
Dr. Barbara Dobretsberger
HENSCHEL QUARTET The Henschel Quartet, formed in 1988
and prizewinners of many prestigious
International competitions (Salzburg,
Evian, Banff and Osaka), is today considered
one of the most exciting young string
quartets of its generation. Constant crit-
ical acclaim has led to an impressive Inter¬
national career. The Henschel Quartet
regularly appears at renowned festivals,
including performances at theTanglewood
Festival (USA), Kuhmo Festival (Finland),
the Schubertiade Feldkirch, the BBC
Proms concerts in London, the Aldeburgh
Festival, Festival de Wallonie (Belgium),
Rheingau Festival, Festival of Schwetzingen
and the Summer Festival of Bad Kissingen
(Germany).
During the 1998/99 season the
Henschel Quartet was invited to give two
concerts atWigmore Hali in London, with
further appearances at Wigmore Hali in
following seasons. In 1999/2000 the
Henschel Quartet gave concerts in the
Hamburger Musikhalle, the Konzerthaus
Berlin, the Stuttgartet Liederhalle, the
Tonhalle Zurich, the Glyptothek
Copenhagen and the Grand Theatre
Toulouse.A concert tour of the USA and
South America saw this virtuoso ensemble
performing in two of New York’s most
prestigious chamber music cycles. In April
2000 the Henschel Quartet embarked on
its eighth concert tour of Japan. During
this tour the Japanese television station
NHK produced a one-hour documentary
about the quartet.
Although critics have often emphasized
the technical mastery of their playing,
the ensemble is more significantly
characterized by its fundamental attitude
to music, which is expressed in its love of
music, the intensive and responsible
treatment of the works and spontaneity,
which have always filled audiences with
enthusiasm. In its unique style of
expression the quartet combines maturity
with irresistible youthful temperament.
In addition to numerous concert
performances as a quartet, they also
appear regularly with other musicians.
Amongst those who have performed with
the Henschel Quartet are members of the
Amadeus Quartet, the Cherubini Quartet,
Radovan Vladkowitsch, Eduard Brunner,
Hariolf Schlichtig and Klaus Kamper.
The Henschel Quartet has broadcast
for BBC London, Radio France, RTBF
Belgium, DRS Switzerland, Danish Radio,
Radio Polskie, CBC Canada, YTV Japan,
WDR, BR and NDR in Germany.
© 2006 Allegro Corporation 01999 ARTE NOVA Musikproduktions GmbH
Executive
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Producer North America Recording
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Editing & CD Mastering Text
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Editor Design
ARTE NOVA Musikproduktions GmbH in Co-Production with Bayerischer Rundfunk William D.Tennant December 9, 10 & 14, 1999 Studio 2, Bayerischer Rundfunk Bernhard Albrecht Winfried MeBmer (tracks I -4) Peter Urban (tracks 5-9) Bernhard Albrecht Dr. Barbara Dobretsberger MikeYarrow Boosey & Hawkes Karin Tikale Eric Garland, Modesty Marie Sablan
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