Chapí: String Quartets Nos. 3 & 4 Cuarteto Latinoamericano

• Ruperto Chapí (1851 - 1909): String Quartet No. 3 in D Major:
• 1 Chapí: String Quartet No. 3 in D Major: I. Grave - Allegro assai 11:16
• 2 Chapí: String Quartet No. 3 in D Major: II. Intermezzo. Allegro moderato 04:47
• 3 Chapí: String Quartet No. 3 in D Major: III. Larghetto 07:48
• 4 Chapí: String Quartet No. 3 in D Major: IV. Finale. Allegro vivace 09:45
• 5 Chapí: String Quartet No. 4 in B Minor: I. Allegro moderato 09:06
• 6 Chapí: String Quartet No. 4 in B Minor: II. Allegretto 06:42
• 7 Chapí: String Quartet No. 4 in B Minor: III. Allegretto animato 06:58
• 8 Chapí: String Quartet No. 4 in B Minor: IV. Allegro vivo 16:43
• Total Runtime 01:13:05

Info for Chapí: String Quartets Nos. 3 & 4

Weltersteinspielungen zweier wunderbarer Streichquartette: Das Streichquartett Nr. 3 von Ruperto Chapí könnte durchaus den Untertitel Tragisches Quartett tragen. Es ist ein Werk von stürmischer Natur, das Atmosphären von Drama, Angst und Einsamkeit enthält. Von den vier Quartetten des Komponisten ist dies vielleicht dasjenige, das am wenigsten spanische Züge aufweist.

Das Streichquartett Nr. 4 in h-moll wurde am 22. Februar 1907 vom Cuarteto Francés uraufgeführt und war vom Komponisten »meinem sehr lieben Freund und Schüler Manuel Manrique de Lara« gewidmet. Auf dem gedruckten Programm des Abends hieß es, dass »Chapí die ästhetische Tendenz seiner früheren Quartette fortsetzt. Ohne auf bestimmte volkstümliche Formen zurückzugreifen, gelingt es dem Komponisten, seinem Werk einen wahrhaft nationalen Charakter zu verleihen, malerisch und frei, indem er seine eigenen Gedanken mit Rhythmen und Verfahren natürlicher und traditioneller Harmonien verbindet. Die Form entspricht im Großen und Ganzen der eines traditionellen Streichquartetts, aber innerhalb dieser Form kann der Komponist mit absoluter Unabhängigkeit durchgehen und die thematischen Elemente nach seiner eigenen Phantasie und den Launen seines persönlichen Temperaments darstellen«.

Cuarteto Latinoamericano

Cuarteto Latinoamericano
formed in 1982, is known worldwide as the leading proponent of Latin American music for string quartet. This award-winning ensemble from Mexico consists of the three Bitrán brothers, violinists Saúl and Arón and cellist Alvaro , along with violist Javier Montiel. The Cuarteto has recorded most of the Latin American repertoire for string quartet, and the sixth volume of their Villa-Lobos 17 quartets cycle, recorded for Dorian, was nominated for a Grammy award in 2002 in the field of Best Chamber Music Recording as well as for a Latin Grammy.

The Cuarteto has performed as soloist with many orchestras, including the Los Angeles Philharmonic under Esa-Pekka Salonen, the Seattle Symphony under Gerard Schwarz, with the National Arts Center Orchestra in Ottawa, the Orquesta Filarmónica de la Ciudad de México, the Dallas Symphony and the Símón Bolívar Orchestra of Venezuela. The Cuarteto has toured extensively around the world including performances in Europe and the Americas, as well as in New Zealand and Israel; they have appeared in a wide range of venues and festivals like the Concertgebouw, the Kennedy Center, Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, Dartmouth College, Cornell University, Dartington International Summer School and the Ojai Festival. They have collaborated with many artists including cellist Janos Starker, pianists Santiago Rodriguez, Cyprien Katsaris and Rudolph Buchbinder, tenor Ramon Vargas, and guitarists Narciso Yepes, Sharon Isbin, David Tanenbaum and Manuel Barrueco. With Mr. Barrueco, they have played in some of the most important venues of the USA and Europe, have recorded two cds, and commissioned guitar quintets from American composers Miguel del Aguila, Michael Daugherty and Gabriela Lena Frank.

The Cuarteto was in residence at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh from 1988 until 2008.

Under the auspices of the Sistema Nacional de Orquestas Juveniles of Venezuela, the Cuarteto has created the Latin American Academy for String Quartets, based in Caracas, which will serve as a training ground for five select young string quartets from the Sistema. The Cuarteto visits the Academy four times a year.

The Cuarteto has been awarded for the third consecutive time the México en Escena grant given by the Mexican government through FONCA (National Fund for Culture and the Arts) for the 2009/2011 period. The project revolves around the Bicentennial Celebrations of the Mexican independence and features Mexican music for string quartet from the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries.

Booklet for Chapí: String Quartets Nos. 3 & 4