P. Hindemith - String Quartets Nos. 2 & 3: 1 - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Paul Hindemith wrote seven String Quartets, all of which reflect the experience and practical assurance of a distinguished violinist and, later, violist. No. 2 was written in 1918 whilst he was a soldier on active duty. It's a bracing, dynamic and pithy work with a clever series of variations which parody romantic excess, and a virtuosic finale. No. 3 followed early in 1920 and was an instant success, a thrilling example of Hindemith's concise imagination at work. This passionate quartet, with it's richly varied material, is one of his supreme chamber masterpieces. In 1922 Paul Hindemith founded a quartet named after it's principal violinist Licco Amar. On the occasion of Hindemith's 100th birthday in 1995, the Hindemith Institute awarded the Zurich-based ensemble the historic name of the Amar Quartet, the members of which are Anna Brunner and Igor Keller (violins), Hannes Bértschi (viola), and Péter Somodari (cello). Album Tracks 1. I. Sehr Lebhaft, Straff Im Rhythmus 2. II. Thema Mit Variationen Gemachlich 3. III. Finale Sehr Lebhaft 4. I. Lebhaft Und Sehr Energisch 5. II. Sehr Langsam - Ausserst Ruhige Viertel 6. III. Finale Ausserst Lebhaft