Pro Arte Quartet: Norman Paulu, violin; Thomas Moore, violin; Richard Blum, viola; Lowell Creitz, cello; Roger Drinkall, cello; Richard Corbett, piano
About his quartet, Arnold Elston wrote:
"I am clearly in the tradition of the Schoenberg school, probably closer to Schoenberg than to Webern or Berg. But I have never espoused the 12-tone technique. The early works of the Viennese school, such as Schoenberg's Five Orchestra Pieces, or Webern's Op. 6, or Op. 10, have always given me more pleasure than Webern's Symphony or Schoenberg's 3rd and 4th String Quartets...
"I wish somebody would tell me what my forms are, I confess I simply feel my way, from measure to measure, like a child who builds a structure with wooden blocks, which he piles up, simply trying to control their precarious balance. I feel a thread of continuity, based on similarity of gesture, or texture, or melodic- rhythmic shape, and I try to hold on to this thread as it pursues its labyrinthine way."
Gordon Binkerd writes:
"It is a rare pleasure to write for these two instruments. The cello is perhaps the most eloquent of all, and the piano is certainly the most commanding. They put the composer very much on his mettle.
"The sonata was written during the summer of, I believe, 1952...I wrote the piece for Robert Swenson, cellist of the Walden String Quartet, and the score is dedicated to him. He gave it its first performance with Daniel Eller at the piano, and eloquent and commanding it was.
This title, originally issued on the CRI label, is now available as a burn-on-demand CD (CD-R) or download in MP3/320, FLAC or WAV formats. CD-Rs come in a protective sleeve; no print booklet or jewel case included. Full liner notes are accessible via the link above.
Arnold Elston: String Quartet/Gordon Binkerd: Cello Sonata
| MP3/320 | $7.99 | |
| FLAC | $7.99 | |
| WAV | $7.99 | |
| CD-R | $7.99 |
A *.pdf of the notes may be accessed here free of charge.
Track Listing
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String Quartet: I. -
Arnold Elston
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String Quartet: II. -
Arnold Elston
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String Quartet: III. -
Arnold Elston
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Sonata for Cello and Piano: I. Grave e con rubato - Allegro
Gordon Binkerd
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Sonata for Cello and Piano: II. Andante
Gordon Binkerd
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Sonata for Cello and Piano: III. Allegro
Gordon Binkerd
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