ELLIOTT CARTER (b. 1908)

String Quartet No. 1 (1951) - 39:21
1.  I. Fantasia: Maestoso – (9:08)
2.  Allegro scorrevole – (3:28)
3.  II. Allegro scorrevole – (1:19)
4.  Adagio – (11:58)
5.  III. Variations (13:28)

String Quartet No. 5. (1995) - 21:11
6.  1. Introduction – (1:30)
7.  2. Giocoso – (2:31)
8.  3. Interlude I – (1:05)
9.  4. Lento espressivo – (2:12)
10. 5. Interlude II – (1:22)
11. 6. Presto scorrevole – (1:07)
12. 7. Interlude III – (1:29)
13. 8. Allegro energico – (1:53)
14. 9. Interlude IV – (1:59)
15. 10. Adagio sereno – (2:47)
16. 11. Interlude V – (1:39)
17. 12. Capriccioso (1:38)

Total Playing Time 60:32
-----------------------------------------
Pacifica Quartet
Simin Ganatra, Violin I
Sibbi Bernhardsson, Violin II
Masumi Per Rostad, Viola
Brandon Vamos, Cello
Recorded: Foellinger Auditorium, Krannert Center, Urbana, Illinois, from 16th to 18th March, 2007 (Quartet No. 1) and on 3rd and 4th June, 2007 (Quartet No. 5)
Producer: Judith Sherman
Engineer: William Maylone
Editing Assistant: Jeanne Velonis
Booklet Notes: Bayan Northcott and Elliott Carter
Cover Photo: Allen Cohen
Publishers: Associated Music Publishers, Inc. (Quartet No. 1); Boosey and Hawkes Music Publishers, Inc. (Quartet No. 5)

© NAXOS 2008 – American Classics

8.559362  DDD

ELLIOTT CARTER: STRING QUARTETS Nos. 1 and 5
Pacifica Quartet

Naxos American Classics 8.559362

“One of the finest and most energetic quartets of the younger generation.” — GRAMOPHONE

Released to celebrate the American master Elliott Carter’s centenary, this is the first of two discs of the complete String Quartets. Carter himself has written: ‘I probably decided to write what was to be the First Quartet when I read about a composition prize in Liege, Belgium, because there were many ideas swarming around in my imagination about expression, rhythm, and harmony, mostly derived from my Cello Sonata….Then my Second, Third, and Fourth Quartets developed my imaginings in different ways until I would exhaust this direction, and so my Fifth Quartet became a farewell to the previous four and an exploration of a new vision.’

“assured understanding of the musical complexities and expressive possibilities”… “emotional power”… ”the best possible introduction to Carter’s music” — The Guardian

“the Pacificas play magnificently”
— Sunday Times

“a stunning disc”…“confirmed mastery” — New York Times

“brings an excitement and urgency to this music that makes it sound completely new" — Chamber Music Magazine

“performances of distinction and accomplishment” — MusicalAmerica.com

“precision and passion”…
“Artistic Quality 10 of 10”
— ClassicsToday.com


LEOS JANÁCEK

String Quartet No. 2, “Intimate Letters” (1928) (26:01)
1 I. Andante (6:03)
2 II. Adagio (6:05)
3 III. Moderato (5:48)
4 IV. Allegro (8:27)

Ruth Crawford Seeger (1901–1953)
String Quartet (1931) (11:53)
5 I. Rubato assai (3:26)
6 II. Leggiero (2:03)
7 III. Andante (4:17)
8 IV. Allegro possibile (2:06)

Paul Hindemith (1895–1963)
String Quartet No. 4, Op. 22 (1922) (26:24)
9 I. Fugato. Sehr langsame Viertel (6:06)
10 II. Schnelle Achtel. Sehr energisch (5:37)
11 III. Ruhige Viertel. Stets fließend (8:03)
12 IV. Mäßig schnelle Viertel (1:43)
13 V. Rondo. Gemächlich und mit Grazie (4:48)
TT: (64:38)
-----------------------------------------
Producer: Judith Sherman
Assistant Engineer & Digital Editing: Bill Maylone
Graphic Design: Melanie Germond
Photos of Pacifica Quartet: Anthony Parmelee
Recorded: September 2-4, 2005 (Hindemith & Crawford Seeger); January 4 & 5, 2006 (Janáek), in the Foelinger Great Hall, Krannert Center, University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana
Microphones: Sonodor, Neumann KM 130
Publishers: String Quartet No. 2 by Leo Janáek ©1928 Editio Bärenreiter Praha (H 4355); String Quartet by Ruth Crawford Seeger ©1941 Theodore Presser Co.; String Quartet No. 4, Op. 22 by Paul Hindemith ©1923 Schott Music International

CDR 90000 092 © 2006 Cedille Records, trademark of The Chicago Classical Recording Foundation • DDD • All Rights Reserved
SEPTEMBER 2006 RELEASE

DECLARATIONS: MUSIC BETWEEN THE WARS
Cedille Records CDR 90000 092

String Quartets of Leos Janácek, Ruth Carter Seeger, and Paul Hindemith

“One of the finest and most energetic quartets of the younger generation.” — GRAMOPHONE

On its new CD, Declarations, the Pacifica Quartet mines the artistic ferment of the interwar years with a program of gems from the 1920s and early 30s. Hindemith’s stunning String Quartet No. 4, Op. 22 (1922) takes listeners on an amazing musical journey. Janácek’s fervent String Quartet No. 2 (“Intimate Letters”) from 1928 expresses the mature composer’s white-hot passion for a much younger woman. And the Pacifica revives the most significant composition by American Ruth Crawford Seeger: her dramatic 1931 String Quartet, which noted composer and critic Virgil Thomson hailed as “a noble piece of work.”

The “magnificently polished” (New York Times) Pacifica Quartet delivers precisely what these inventive and emotionally complex works demand: “playing of the most sublime kind, utterly absorbing in its subtle expressiveness” (London Daily Telegraph). Hear for yourself why so many critics have declared their admiration for the Pacifica Quartet and its musical choices.

Available at cedillerecords.org and major music outlets.

FELIX MENDELSSOHN (1809 - 1847)

DISC ONE

String Quartet in E-Flat Major (1823) (25:16)
1. I. Allegro moderato (9:12)
2. II. Adagio non troppo (6:24)
3. III. Minuetto (5:44)
4. IV. Fuga (3:47)

String Quartet in E-Flat Major, Op. 12 (23:41)
5. I. Adagio non troppo - Allegro non tardante (7:28)
6. II. Canzonetta: Allegretto (4:00)
7. III. Andante espressivo (4:07)
8. IV. Molto Allegro e vivace (7:59)

String Quartet in F Minor, Op. 80 (25:35)
9. I. Allegro vivace assai (7:12)
10. II. Allegro assai (4:50)
11. III. Adagio (8:05)
12. IV. Finale: Allegro molto (5:17)

DISC TWO

String Quartet in A Minor, Op. 13 (30:35)
1. I. Adagio - Allegro vivace (8:11)
2. II. Adagio non lento (7:28)
3. III. Intermezzo: Allegretto con moto (4:45)
4. IV. Presto (10:02)

String Quartet in D Major, Op. 44 No. 1 (28:39)
5. I. Molto Allegro vivace (9:27)
6. II. Menuetto: Un poco Allegretto (6:04)
7. III. Andante espressivo ma con moto (6:08)
8. IV. Presto con brio (6:50)

DISC THREE

String Quartet in E Minor, Op. 44 No. 2 (27:29)
1. I. Allegro assai appassionato (10:18)
2. II. Scherzo: Allegro di molto (3:52)
3. III. Andante (6:23)
4. IV. Presto agitato (6:46)
String Quartet in E-Flat Major, Op. 44 No. 3 (30:14)
5. I. Allegro vivace (9:05)
6. II. Scherzo: Assai leggiero vivace (3:43)
7. III. Adagio non troppo (8:37)
8. IV. Molto Allegro con fuoco (8:38)

9. Andante in E Major, Op. 81 No. 1 (6:08)

10. Scherzo in A Minor, Op. 81 No. 2 (3:28)

11. Capriccio in E Minor, Op. 81 No. 3 (6:15)

12. Fugue in E-Flat Major, Op. 81 No. 4 (5:20)
 --------------------------------------------------
Producer: Judith Sherman
Engineers: Judith Sherman, Bill Maylone
Graphic Design: Melanie Germond
Photos of Pacifica Quartet: Anthony Parmelee
Recorded: December 2002, October 2003, March 2004 & June 2004 at Pick-Staiger Concert Hall, Evanston, IL

© Cedille Records 2005
webmaster@cedillerecords.org		 MENDELSSOHN:
THE COMPLETE STRING QUARTETS
 Pacifica Quartet

One of today's most dynamic and exciting ensembles, the Pacifica Quartet celebrated its 10th anniversary with a three-CD set of Mendelssohn's complete string quartet cycle. Know for its "stunningly expressive performances" (The Guardian) and "a set of musical gifts held in ideal balance" (Washington Post), the youthful Pacifica is a perfect match for this early Romantic composer's exuberant chamber music.

"Artistic Quality 10/10 Sound Quality...a big, warm sound -- wonderfully well blended, rounded and full.... Sonics are just about perfect...with the vivid presence that makes you feel these magnificent players are in the room with you."
--ClassicsToday.com
 
"...exciting showcase for the Pacifica's brand of exuberant, polished musicmaking."
-- Chicago Sun-Times
 
"...splendid new recording...sets a new gold standard for performances of Mendelssohn's string quartets."
-- St. Louis Post-Dispatch
 
"...technical and musical command, depth of understanding and urgently expressive response to the music's varied colors and moods..."
-- Chicago Tribune

Available at cedillerecords.org and major music outlets

MENDELSSOHN REVIEWS:
ClassicsToday.com
Chicago Sun-Times
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Chicago Tribune

PROGRAM (75:40)

ANTONIN DVORAK (1841 - 1904)

String Quartet No. 13
in G Major, Op. 106 (40:30)
1. I. Allegro moderato (10:15)
Excerpt (.mp3 - mono - 240K)
2. II. Adagio ma non troppo (11:39)
3. III. Molto vivace (7:11)
Excerpt (.mp3 - stereo - 940K)
4. IV. Finale: Andante sostenuto -
Allegro con fuoco (11:13)

String Quintet
in E-flat Major, Op. 97 (34:56)
5. I. Allegro non tanto (9:38)
Excerpt (.mp3 - mono - 240K)
6. II. Allegro vivo (5:50)
7. III. Larghetto (10:39)
8. IV. Finale: Allegro giusto (8:36)
--------------------------------------------------
Recorded: February and April 2001
at WFMT, Chicago
Producer: James Ginsburg
Engineer: Bill Maylone
Cover Photography: Prague, Czech Republic © Joe Cornish/Stone
Design: Melanie Germond
Notes: Wayne Booth

DVORAK:
STRING QUARTET NO. 13
IN G MAJOR, OP. 106
STRING QUINTET IN
E-FLAT MAJOR, OP. 97*
Pacifica Quartet
*with Michael Tree, viola

Chamber music occupied a special place in Dvorak's heart. This CD of two of his finest -- and less well-known -- chamber works will earn a cherished spot in your record collection.

Dvorak composed his richly textured String Quintet in E-flat Major, Op. 97 (1893) during a sojourn in Iowa. It radiates Dvorak's warmth and humanity while also echoing his encounters with the music of different Native American tribes.

Poetic and expressive, the landmark String Quartet No. 13 in G Major, Op. 106 (1895) shows Dvorak in his creative prime. "What marvelous music," says Gramophone magazine. "Why is it so rarely heard? ... Why don't some of our younger quartets tackle this masterpiece?"

At last, one of them has. On this new Cedille recording, the Naumburg Award-winning Pacifica Quartet, a bold and dynamic young ensemble ("They all move on the same strong, supple band of time." -- New York Times), rises to the challenge, joined in the quintet by violist Michael Tree of the Guarneri Quartet.

DVORAK REVIEWS:
American Record Guide
Memphis Commercial Appeal
andante.com
classicstoday.com
Fanfare Magazine

PROGRAM (63:10)

EASLEY BLACKWOOD (b. 1932)
String Quartet No. 1, Op. 4 (1957) (16:02)
1. I. Largo (6:54)
Excerpt (.mp3 - mono - 240K)
2. II. Andante con moto (4:37)
3. III. Presto con fuoco (4:23)

String Quartet No. 2, Op. 6 (1959) (18:50)
4. I. Moderato (6:50)
5. II. Prestissimo (2:57)
Excerpt (.mp3 - mono - 240K)
6. III. Molto lento (8:55)

String Quartet No. 3, Op. 42 (1998) (27:54)
7. I. Allegro moderato (7:42)
8. II. Vivace (4:27)
Full Track (.mp3 - stereo - 4.1MB)
9. III. Adagio sostenuto (9:12)
10. IV. Allegro deciso (6:21)
--------------------------------------------------
Recorded: Sept. 24-25, 1998; Apr 6 & May 28, 1999 at WFMT, Chicago IL
Producer: James Ginsburg
Engineer: Bill Maylone
Cover Photography: Nesha & Kumiko Fotodesign
Design: Melanie Germond
Notes: Easley Blackwood
STRING QUARTETS BY EASLEY BLACKWOOD
Pacifica Quartet

WORLD PREMIERE RECORDING

Click above to read the full review
from ClassicsToday.com

The youthful Pacifica Quartet makes its recording debut with new and vintage quartets by veteran American composer Easley Blackwood. Formed in California in 1994, and now based in Chicago, the quartet is ensemble-in-residence at the University of Chicago and the Music Institute of Chicago. The Pacifica Quartet received the coveted Naumburg Chamber Music award in 1998 and made its Naumburg-sponsored debut at Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall in March 1999. Of that performance, the New York Times wrote, "Its sound, individually and as a group, is pure, lyrical, and educated . . . They all move on the same strong, supple band of time."

Blackwood's First and Second quartets are products of the same creative period as his most celebrated early modernist masterpiece, his Symphony No. 1 (1955). In the CD booklet, Blackwood describes the quartets as "largely atonal, although not violently dissonant." He says they "reveal the influence of Bartok, Berg, and Hindemith" (with whom Blackwood studied at Yale). The First Quartet received its premiere at the Berkshire Music Center in 1957 in a performance by the Kroll Quartet. The Second Quartet was premiered at the Library of Congress in 1960 by the Juilliard Quartet. "Blackwood's [second] quartet is a work of immediate beauty," the Washington Post's Paul Hume wrote on Jan. 9, 1960. "One is conscious at every point of the quartet of the [composer's] ease and personal affiliation with the medium."

By contrast, the romantically inspired Third Quartet is in "a style reminiscent of the quartets of Franck, Ravel, and Verdi," Blackwood writes. "The harmonic idiom is essentially tonal." The piece, written for the Pacifica, was premiered by the ensemble in 1998 at Chicago's "Music in the Loft" series. The Third Quartet reflects Blackwood's latter-day interest in "conservative" styles, as heard in his Cello Sonata, Fifth Symphony, and Clarinet Sonata.

BLACKWOOD REVIEWS:
American Record Guide
classicstoday.com