String quartet music has always been hugely popular because it could be played by amateur musicians in their own homes. Recently though, it’s become associated with being difficult to listen to or even enjoy. QUARTET CLASSICS is a fantastic collection of tunes that sets out to disprove this myth. If you love any kind of music or want to get to know the chamber repertoire, then this CD is the ideal introduction.
QUARTET CLASSICS features the RTÉ Vanbrugh Quartet and 14 tracks include Tchaikovsky’s timeless Andante Cantabile and Barber’s poignant Adagio as it was originally written for string quartet. There are waltzes from Dvorak and highlights from quartets by Haydn, Mozart and Mendelssohn. Twentieth century composers are represented by jaunty works from Shostakovich and Frank Bridge and a lullaby by Gershwin.
The RTÉ Vanbrugh Quartet is widely regarded as one of Europe’s finest and most successful string quartets. Appointed Resident Quartet to RTÉ in 1986, the group enjoys a thriving international career in performance and recording.
QUARTET CLASSICS was recording in St.Colman's Cathedral, Cloyne, Co. Cork. Dating from around 1250, it has a marvellous acoustic and no extra reverb was added during the mastering of the CD: the Vanbrugh sound on CD exactly as they did during those three June days in Cloyne when the music was recorded. |