Kenneth Fuchs - Quartets 2, 3, 4

Quartets 2, 3 4 (The American String Quartet)

By Kenneth Fuchs (Conductor)  (The American String Quartet)

Very Good Condition

A Review:

J. Scott Morrison's review of this album is very thorough, and I have little to add, except that I, too, am pleased with this accessible group of quartets with a strong American flavor. These rich works are complex in their energy and flow, of both emotion and intellect, and are highly engrossing. Kenneth Fuchs is largely conservative or traditional in his classical compositions. There is no wild experimentation, pulsing, or bombast. Instead, there is much melodic depth here. Quartets pose significant challenge for the composer in providing full interplay of the instruments; he accomplished this task remarkably well, and I warrant that the musicians truly enjoyed performing the works, that their smiles on the cover do indeed reflect the artistic and poetic spirit that inspired the music. As for me, there too is a smile on my face as I listen to these fine pieces. Encore! Encore!

Tracklist

                Where Have You Been? (String Quartet No. 2 After Five Collages By Robert Motherwell)               (24:27)

1              Heart Of Darkness (Serioso)        3:57

2              The Other Side (Tranquillo)         4:52

3              The Marriage (Con Fuoco)           2:52

4              They Are Not Heard At All (Introduzione—Presto Agitato—Con Fantasia)             7:18

5              Where Have You Been? (Spiritoso—Con Fantasia—Prest Finale)               5:10

                Whispers Of Heavenly Death (String Quartet No. 3 After Poems By Walt Whitman)          (19:21)

6              Allegro Agitato  4:00

7              Largo Misterioso: Introduzione; Poco Più Mosso; Tema Con Variazioni; Affrettando         9:20

8              Gioioso 5:57

                String Quartet No. 4 "Bergonzi"

9              Energico—Meno Mosso—Vivo 10:39