Beethoven Op. 131
Beethoven Op. 131
The Jasper String Quartet breathes new life into this well-known late string quartet by one of the world’s most beloved composers in this exclusively digital release by Sono Luminus.
One of Beethoven’s personal favorite works, this quartet was dedicated to Baron Joseph von Stutterheim as a gesture of gratitude for taking his nephew Karl into the army. In this cyclical composition, Beethoven composes the quartet in six distinct key areas. Beginning in C-sharp minor and ends in C-sharp major, the finale directly quotes the opening fugue theme in the first movement in its second thematic area.
Winner of the 2012 Cleveland Quartet Award, the Jasper String Quartet (J. Freivogel and Sae Chonabayashi, violins; Sam Quintal, viola; Rachel Henderson Freivogel, cello) has been hailed as “sonically delightful and expressively compelling” (The Strad) and as “powerful” (The New York Times). The Classical Voice of North Carolina says they play “with sparkling vitality and great verve, ...polished, engag tune with one another.”
After winning the Grand Prize and the Audience Prize in the 2008 Plowman Chamber Music Competition, the Jaspers went on to win the Grand Prize at the 2008 Coleman Competition, First Prize at Chamber Music Yellow Springs 2008, and the Silver Medal atthe 2008 and 2009 Fischoff Chamber Music Competitions. They were the first ensemble to win the Yale School of Music’s Horatio Parker Memorial Prize (2009), an award established in 1945 and selected by the faculty for “best fulfilling... lofty musical ideals.” And in 2010, they joined the roster of Astral Artists after winning their national auditions.
Based in Philadelphia, PA, the Jaspers have released 2 prior albums with Sono Luminus. Their first two critically acclaimed releases comprise a thematic 2-volume program—The Kernis Project—which explore the string quartets of Aaron Kernis and the works that inspired them. The first of these 2 albums, The Kernis Project: Beethoven (DSL-92142) features Kernis String quartet No. 2 and Beethoven Quartet Op. 59 No. 3. “Razumovsky No. 3”. The second, The Kernis Project: Schubert (DSL-92152) features Kernis Sting Quartet No. 1 and Schubert D.810 “Death and the Maiden” . From 2015-2017, the Quartet will premiere their commission of Mr. Kernis’ 3rd Quartet across the world, including at Carnegie Hall and Wigmore Hall in London.
Track List
String Quartet No. 14 in C-sharp minor, Op. 131
Ludwig van Beethoven
1. I. Adagio ma non troppo e molto espressivo 6:33
2. II. Allegro molto vivace 2:54
3. III. Allegro moderato—Adagio 0:44
4. IV. Andante ma non troppo e molto cantabile 12:54
5. V. Presto 5:04
6. VI. Adagio quasi un poco andante 1:53
7. VII. Allegro 6:46
Total time: 37:42
Release date: June 2014
UPC: 053479720320
“The Jaspers... match their sounds perfectly, as if each swelling chord were coming out of a single, impossibly well-tuned organ, instead of four distinct instruments.”
