String Quartets Nos 1 6 Stephen Salters Bar Borromeo Quartet; Cypress Quartet

The highly personal style of American composer Benjamin Lees lends his music the lofty grandeur and sardonic wit, not only of Shostakovich but also of the Cubist and Surrealist artists, all of whom he so admires. Lees, who also shares Britten’s refined sense of harmony, delights in contrasts and surprises, enthralling the listener at every turn from the lyrical to the burlesque, the romantic to the brusque. His fifth string quartet was chosen by Chamber Music America as one of its 101 Great Ensemble Works.

Hilding Rosenberg (1892 – 1985), the patriarch of 20th century Swedish music, wrote altogether 14 string quartets , the first in 1920 and the final more than half a century later. This makes him one of the most prolific composers of chamber music in Scandinavia. Also artistically, by virtue of his very personal approach, his power of expression and his technical mastery, Rosenberg’s production is truly outstanding.
This is the the first CD in a series of 6, also available in a boxed set. It contains the quartets No. 1, 6, and 12 performed by the Kyndel Quratet, The Gotland Quartet and The Copenhagen String Quartet.

Performing Arensky's First and Second string quartets, along with the Piano Quintet, is the Ying Quartet. This ensemble's playing is characterized by a surprisingly precise, consistent uniformity of sound and exactness of articulation, making it seem as if a single instrument were playing as opposed to four independent parts. All aspects of their technical execution are polished and refined, which only enhances their equally enjoyable musical effusiveness, rich, deep tone, and understanding of Arensky's scores that casts them in the best possible light. This level of integrity continues …..

Mike D. Brownell @ AllMusic

“Technically speaking the Emerson String Quartet are unimpeachable, with meticulous internal balance and intonation sustained at all times, remarkable tonal matching between the instruments and precision phrasing and dynamics. There is a beguiling transparency about their sound-world that allows every voice to register with the kind of resonance-free clarity . . . ” - International Record Review, London, July 2008