Composed between 1894 and 1916 Wilhelm Stenhammar's body of six numbered string quartets is considered unique among Scandinavian music of it's time, both in it's consistency and in it's musical aspirations. Together, the quartets reflect the composer's development, from full-blown Romanticism to a more sparse and formally concentrated idiom that distances itself from late-Romantic conventions. Taking it's name from the composer, the Stenhammar Quartet was the first ever to propose a complete traversal of the cycle on CD, including the world premiÃ¨re recording of a quartet in F minor that Stenhammar withdrew from his official catalogue after completing it. The series was greeted with great international interest and critical acclaim, both for performances described as 'exceptional' (The Guardian) and for the quality of the music itself: 'there is no doubt that Stenhammar belongs to the unknown great masters of the string quartet genre' (Klassik-Heute. De).

Tracklist:

String Quartet No. 1 in C major, Op. 2~I. Allegro
String Quartet No. 1 in C major, Op. 2~II. Mesto. Sehr einfach, aber mit der innigsten Empfindug vorzutragen
String Quartet No. 1 in C major, Op. 2~III. Molto tranquillo e commodo - Un pochettino piu leggiero
String Quartet No. 1 in C major, Op. 2~IV. Allegro energico
String Quartet No. 2 in C minor, Op. 14~I. Allegro moderato
String Quartet No. 2 in C minor, Op. 14~II. Andante quasi adagio
String Quartet No. 2 in C minor, Op. 14~III. Scherzo. Allegro vivace - Trio. Molto espressivo
String Quartet No. 2 in C minor, Op. 14~IV. Finale. Allegro energico e serioso
String Quartet No. 4 in A minor, Op. 25~I. Allegro ma non troppo
String Quartet No. 4 in A minor, Op. 25~II. Adagio
String Quartet No. 4 in A minor, Op. 25~III. Scherzo. Allegro
String Quartet No. 4 in A minor, Op. 25~IV. Aria variata. Andante semplice
Lodolezzi sjunger (Lodolezzi Sings), Op. 39~Elegi. Lento
Lodolezzi sjunger (Lodolezzi Sings), Op. 39~Intermezzo. Allegro agitato
String Quartet No. 3 in F major, Op. 18~I. Quasi andante
String Quartet No. 3 in F major, Op. 18~II. Presto molto agitato
String Quartet No. 3 in F major, Op. 18~III. Lento sostenuto
String Quartet No. 3 in F major, Op. 18~IV. Presto molto agitato - Molto moderato
String Quartet No. 5 in C major, Op. 29 (Serenade)~I. Allegro molto con spirito
String Quartet No. 5 in C major, Op. 29 (Serenade)~II. Ballata. Allegretto scherzando (paraphrase on 'Finn Komfusenfej)
String Quartet No. 5 in C major, Op. 29 (Serenade)~III. Scherzo. Allegro vivace
String Quartet No. 5 in C major, Op. 29 (Serenade)~IV. Finale. Allegro molto
String Quartet in F minor~I. Allegro
String Quartet in F minor~II. Adagio. Con intimissimo sentimento, poco scherzando
String Quartet in F minor~III. Allegro giocoso
String Quartet in F minor~IV. Allegretto
String Quartet No. 6 in D minor, Op. 35~I. Tempo moderato, sempre un poco rubato
String Quartet No. 6 in D minor, Op. 35~II. Allegro vivace
String Quartet No. 6 in D minor, Op. 35~III. Poco adagio
String Quartet No. 6 in D minor, Op. 35~IV. Presto

UPC: 7318599927091
Label: Bis
Release Date: 2.3.23
Format: CD

Stenhammar / Stenhammar Quartet - String Quartets (CD)