Naxos' Four American Quartets features four later twentieth century American string quartets, dating from 1948-1995, as performed by the Fine Arts Quartet, the same Fine Arts Quartet that has been around since 1946 and resident at the University of Wisconsin. Naturally, the lineup has changed completely from the original group, though until the departure of violist Yuri Gandelsman in 2008 the membership of the Fine Arts Quartet had been relatively stable for a quarter century. Though replaced in the meantime by interim ...
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Naxos' Four American Quartets features four later twentieth century American string quartets, dating from 1948-1995, as performed by the Fine Arts Quartet, the same Fine Arts Quartet that has been around since 1946 and resident at the University of Wisconsin. Naturally, the lineup has changed completely from the original group, though until the departure of violist Yuri Gandelsman in 2008 the membership of the Fine Arts Quartet had been relatively stable for a quarter century. Though replaced in the meantime by interim violist Chauncey Patterson, Gandelsman fills the viola chair here. The Fine Arts Quartet has been involved in a slew of recordings for Naxos, of which this release is only the second entry. However, as most of this activity is focused in more conventional, European fare such as Schumann and Mendelssohn, this disc of American works is particularly welcome; the original Fine Arts Quartet was renowned for its pioneering recordings of the earliest American chamber literature.There is...
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