Escher String Quartet - Dvořák: String Quartet No. 12 - Tchaikovsky: String Quartet No. 1 - Borodin:...

Tracklist
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01. String Quartet No. 12 in F Major, Op. 96, B. 179 "American": I. Allegro ma non troppo
02. String Quartet No. 12 in F Major, Op. 96, B. 179 "American": II. Lento
03. String Quartet No. 12 in F Major, Op. 96, B. 179 "American": III. Molto vivace
04. String Quartet No. 12 in F Major, Op. 96, B. 179 "American": IV. Finale. Vivace ma non troppo
05. String Quartet No. 1 in D Major, Op. 11, TH 111: I. Moderato e semplice
06. String Quartet No. 1 in D Major, Op. 11, TH 111: II. Andante cantabile
07. String Quartet No. 1 in D Major, Op. 11, TH 111: III. Scherzo. Allegro non tanto e con fuoco-Trio
08. String Quartet No. 1 in D Major, Op. 11, TH 111: IV. Finale. Allegro giusto
09. String Quartet No. 2 in D Major: I. Allegro moderato
10. String Quartet No. 2 in D Major: II. Scherzo. Allegro
11. String Quartet No. 2 in D Major: III. Notturno. Andante
12. String Quartet No. 2 in D Major: IV. Finale. Andante-Vivace
Full-blooded quartet playing in the grand, classic manner: extrovert and eloquent' is how the performances of the Escher String Quartet were described in a review of their recording of Mendelssohn's first and fourth quartets in BBC Music Magazine. After completing the three-disc cycle of Mendelssohn quartets - and earning further accolades, including a nomination to the 2017 BBC Music Magazine Awards - the quartet now returns with a programme which leaves plenty of opportunity for their special brand of playing. Composed between 1873 (Tchaikovsky) and 1893 (Dvorák), the three quartets gathered on this disc form a catalogue of unforgettable tunes and of emotions ranging from nostalgia to the most infectious joy. Each of the three composers wrote more than one quartet - Dvorák's list of works includes as many 14! - but the ones recorded here are by far their best-loved. A contributing fact is surely that they all three include slow movements that tug at every listener's heartstrings. Especially Tchaikovsky's Andante cantabile and Borodin's Notturno have become favourites in their own right, and exist in arrangements for every possible combination of instruments. But there is more to these works than the slow movements: throughout each quartet there is a wealth of melodic invention, rhythmic vitality and lyric fleetness which the Escher's know how to exploit to the full.