Richard Wilson & Steven Mackey: String Quartets
Liner Notes   Cat. No. NWCRL526     Release Date: 2011-07-15

Muir Quartet: Bayla Keyes and Lucy Chapman Stoltzman, violins; Steven Ansell, viola and Michael Reynolds, cello

Lydian String Quartet: Wilma Smith, violin; Judith Eissenberg, violin; Mary Ruth Ray, viola and Rhonda Rider, cello

"I tried to design this work so that the overall shape would be prefigured in general by the form of the first movement. The second movement thus plays a role similar to that of the central section of the first movement. The outer movements are related to each other in expressive intensity if not in thematic detail. String Quartet No. 3 was commissioned for the Muir String Quartet by the Walter W. Naumburg Foundation. It is dedicated to the members of the Muir and to Leon Botstein. The Muir gave the first performances at Yale and Vassar in April, 1983. In July, 1984, the Delmé Quartet gave the London premiere in Wigmore Hall and subsequently recorded the work for broadcast on Radio 3 of the BBC." —Richard Wilson

"String Quartet was written for the Lydian String Quartet in 1983. I had heard the Lydians play a variety of music in many venues and was very familiar with their playing style even before our collaboration began. I was excited about composing a work for them which would exploit their ability to sustain and project an intrinsically expressive, large shape as well as their knack for making intricate details sparkle. The major formal divisions indicated in the score are as follows: I. An Allegro II. Two Miniatures: a) Hypnogogic sequence and b) Scherzo III. Finale: a) Quasi recitative, b) Caricature and metamorphosis, c) An adagio and d) Epilogue." —Steven Mackey

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.

The Lydian String Quartet

Richard Wilson & Steven Mackey: String Quartets

MP3/320 $7.99
FLAC $7.99
WAV $7.99
CD-R $7.99
CD-Rs come in a protective sleeve; no print material or jewel case included.
A *.pdf of the notes may be accessed here free of charge.
   Liner Notes



Track Listing

String Quartet No. 3: I. Prelude
Richard Wilson
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String Quartet No. 3: II. Episode
Richard Wilson
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String Quartet No. 3: III. Elegy
Richard Wilson
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String Quartet: I. An Allegro
Steven Mackey
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String Quartet: II. Two Miniatures
Steven Mackey
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String Quartet: III. Finale
Steven Mackey
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