Paul Hindemith - String Quartets Vol. 3 (Amar Quartet)

Information

Composer: Paul Hindemith

• (01) String Quartet No. 1 in C major, Op. 2
• (05) String Quartet No. 4, Op. 22

Amar Quartet
Anna Brunner, violin
Igor Keller, violin
Hannes Bärtschi, viola
Péter Somodari, cello

Date: 2015
Label: Naxos
https://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.572165

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Review

The string quartets of Paul Hindemith haven't been accorded the prestige of the roughly contemporary cycle by Béla Bartók, at least as far as being particularly innovative or influential. However, in the way they reflect Hindemith's stylistic development and changes in approach, the seven string quartets he composed between 1914 and 1945 are at least as varied as Bartók's six, and they similarly straddle the divide between traditional quartet writing and modernist experimentation. With this third volume in its series on Naxos, the Amar Quartet brings the cycle to a close with the String Quartet No. 1, Op. 2, a four-movement work strongly flavored with Brahmsian themes and Romantic sonorities, and the String Quartet No. 4, Op. 22, a suite of five pieces that reflects the searching eclecticism of the 1920s. Of the two, the latter work is recognizably Hindemith's in his distinctive use of chromatic harmony and ever-modulating tonality, and it has become the most popular of his quartets, largely because of its expressive directness and robust energy. The Amar Quartet is named after the group Hindemith formed in 1922, and its dedication in communicating the composer's intentions is of the highest order. The recordings are clean and detailed, and the close proximity of the players gives them a strong, vibrant presence.

-- Blair Sanderson, AllMusic

More reviews:
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2017/Apr/Hindemith_quartets_8503290.htm
https://www.naxos.com/reviews/reviewslist.asp?catalogueid=8.572165&languageid=EN

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Paul Hindemith (16 November 1895 – 28 December 1963) was a German composer, violist, violinist, teacher and conductor. Hindemith is among the most significant German composers of his time. His early works are in a late romantic idiom, and he later produced expressionist works, before developing his neoclassical style in the 1920s. Notable compositions include his song cycle Das Marienleben (1923) and opera Mathis der Maler (1938). Hindemith's most popular work, both on record and in the concert hall, is probably the Symphonic Metamorphosis of Themes by Carl Maria von Weber, written in 1943.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Hindemith

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Named after its principal violinist Licco Amar, Paul Hindemith founded the original Amar Quartet in 1922. On the occasion of Hindemith's 100th birthday in 1995, the Hindemith Institute awarded this historic name to a newly founded Zürich-based ensemble. During its studies with the Alban Berg Quartet, the Amar won numerous international awards, followed by successful debuts at famous concert-halls, as well as invitations to teach in master-classes. The ensemble has shown passionate engagement with the work of Paul Hindemith, and is increasingly making a name for itself in Switzerland.
https://www.naxos.com/person/Amar_Quartet/122297.htm
https://www.amarquartett.ch/

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