Spain Through Strings [Arriaga, Turina, Toldrá, Castelnuovo-Tedesco] Zemlinsky Quartet & Miriam Rodriguez Brüllová

• Juan Crisóstomo de Arriaga (1806 - 1826): String Quartet No. 3 in E-Flat Major:
• 1 Arriaga: String Quartet No. 3 in E-Flat Major: I. Allegro 08:30
• 2 Arriaga: String Quartet No. 3 in E-Flat Major: II. Pastorale. Andantino 06:04
• 3 Arriaga: String Quartet No. 3 in E-Flat Major: III. Menuetto. Allegro 03:21
• 4 Arriaga: String Quartet No. 3 in E-Flat Major: IV. Finale. Presto agitato 06:22
• Joaquin Turina (1882 - 1949): La Oración del Torero, Op. 34:
• 5 Turina: La Oración del Torero, Op. 34 08:03
• Eduardo Toldrá (1895 - 1961): Vistas al Mar (Evocaciones poeticas):
• 6 Toldrá: Vistas al Mar (Evocaciones poeticas): I. Allegro con brio. La Ginesta 04:19
• 7 Toldrá: Vistas al Mar (Evocaciones poeticas): II. Lento. Allà a les Ilunyanies de la mar 05:42
• 8 Toldrá: Vistas al Mar (Evocaciones poeticas): III. Molto vivace. La mar estava alegre 04:32
• Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco (1895 - 1968): Quintet for Guitar and String Quartet, Op. 143:
• 9 Castelnuovo-Tedesco: Quintet for Guitar and String Quartet, Op. 143: I. Allegro, vivo e schietto 05:27
• 10 Castelnuovo-Tedesco: Quintet for Guitar and String Quartet, Op. 143: II. Andante mesto 06:34
• 11 Castelnuovo-Tedesco: Quintet for Guitar and String Quartet, Op. 143: III. Scherzo. Allegro con spirito, alla marcia 04:32
• 12 Castelnuovo-Tedesco: Quintet for Guitar and String Quartet, Op. 143: IV Finale. Allegro con fuoco 05:41
• Total Runtime 01:09:07

Info for Spain Through Strings [Arriaga, Turina, Toldrá, Castelnuovo-Tedesco]

The famous Slovak guitarist Miriam Rodriguez Brullova pays tribute to Andres Segovia in this original selection of Spanish works for quartet, from Arriaga, a precocious genius who died at 20, to creator of the Quintet Op.143, Castlenuovo-Tedesco (1895-1968).

"Although the Italian-born Castelnuovo-Tedesco is an interloper in a disc of otherwise Spanish composers, it is his Guitar Quintet that forms the highlight. Already 37, and knowing precious little about the guitar, he met Andrés Segovia, and the friendship that ensued inspired a score redolent of happiness. He uses the instrument in its classical form, without a hint of its Spanish associations. The young Slovak guitarist Miriam Rodriguez Brüllová gives a technically immaculate account that perfectly captures the work’s playfulness, and reveals an abundance of dexterity in the outer movements.

There is nothing anything inherently Spanish in Arriaga’s hugely attractive Third Quartet, a work fashioned from influences handed down from Mozart. Nor do we travel further south than French Impressionism for Turina’s evocative Toreador’s Prayer. But both are welcome, as is the colourful scene painting in Eduardo Toldrá’s triptych of sea pictures for string quartet, which, though stylistically predating its 1921 origin, is a gorgeous score.

The Zemlinsky Quartet achieves a perfect balance with Rodriguez Brüllová in Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s conversational passages, and its playing throughout the disc is beautifully refined. With a unified expressive intent, and revealing plenty of inner detail, these are technically impeccable performances, though a little more air around the sound would have been welcome." (thestrad.com)

Miriam Rodriguez Brüllova, guitar
Zemlinsky Quartet

Zemlinsky Quartet
Founded in 1994 while the members were still students, the ZEMLINSKY QUARTET has become a much lauded example of the Czech string quartet tradition. The Zemlinsky Quartet won the First Grand Prize at the Bordeaux International String Quartet Competition in 2010. They have also been awarded top prizes at the Banff International String Quartet Competition (2007), Prague Spring International Music Competition (2005) and London International String Quartet Competition (2006), where they also received the Audience Prize. The Quartet was recipient of the Alexander Zemlinsky Advancement Award in 2008. Other notable prizes include Beethoven International Competition (1999), New Talent Bratislava (2003), Martinů Foundation String Quartet Competition (2004), and the Prize of Czech Chamber Music Society (2005). In the season 2016/17, Zemlinsky Quartet was appointed as the residential ensemble of the Czech Chamber Music Society.

While students at the Prague Conservatory and the Academy of Performing Arts Prague, the ensemble was coached by members of renowned Czech string quartets including the Talich, Prague, Kocian and Pražák Quartets. The ensemble also took part in several master classes including ProQuartet, in France and Sommerakademie in Reichenau, Austria where they were awarded First Prize for the best interpretation of a work by Janáček. From 2005 to 2008, the quartet studied with Walter Levin, the first violinist of LaSalle Quartet. Their recent mentor has been Josef Klusoň, the violist of the Pražák Quartet.

Zemlinsky Quartet is named after the Austrian composer, conductor and teacher Alexander Zemlinsky (1871-1942), whose enormous contribution to Czech, German and Jewish culture during his 16-year residence in Prague had been underrated until recently. His four string quartets (the second one being dedicated to his student and brother-in-law Arnold Schönberg) belong to the basic repertoire of the ensemble. Since 2005, the quartet has maintained a special relationship with the Alexander Zemlinsky Foundation in Vienna.

The Zemlinsky Quartet performs regularly in the Czech Republic and abroad (Germany, Switzerland, Austria, France, Monaco, Luxembourg, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Great Britain, Ireland, Hungary, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Canada, USA, Brazil, Japan, South Korea). Recent major appearances of the Zemlinsky Quartet include London’s Wigmore Hall, Cité de la Musique in Paris, Library of Congress, Place des Arts in Montreal, Prague Spring Festival, and their New York debut on Schneider/New School Concerts Series. Their vast repertoire contains more than 200 works ranging from Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, and Dvorak to works by contemporary composers. The members of the ensemble also perform as soloists and are individual prize-winners of several competitions (Concertino Praga, Spohr International Competition Weimar, Tribune of Young Artists UNESCO, Rotary Music Competition Nürnberg, Beethoven International Competition, Kocian International Competition).

Between 2006-2011, the Zemlinsky Quartet were Assistant Quartet-in-Residence at Musikakademie Basel in Switzerland. Music education is an important part of their professional life and during their tours, the quartet is often invited to give master classes to students of any age. They also perform educational concerts for students. Recently, František Souček and Petr Holman have been appointed Professors at the Prague Conservatory.

Booklet for Spain Through Strings [Arriaga, Turina, Toldrá, Castelnuovo-Tedesco]