Radio Tour! Update #2
We're a week into this tour - and having a blast! New York, Washington DC, Houston, and San Antonio went by in a blur - with performances on WQXR, Sirius XM, KUHA, and Texas Public Radio. Sirius and KUHA will broadcast sometime during the the holidays - WQXR and TPR are available online here: http://www.wqxr.org/#/articles/wqxr-features/2011/dec/02/cafe-concert-cypress-string-quartet/ and here: http://youtu.be/dTyVsmMeyzU This afternoon we're heading to WFMT for a live performance and interview - you should be able to stream it here: http://www.wfmt.com/main.taf?p=4,5,8 Thanks to everyone who has pledged! Please pass this information on to your friends and encourage them to check out our broadcasts, and kick in a little cash too! We've got 5 more days to meet our goal. Make a pledge right now at: http://kck.st/voLhqf Thanks!Radio Tour!
The Cypress String Quartet is hitting the radio waves!
We are celebrating our 15th Anniversary and the release of our latest CD, The American Album, with an old fashioned radio tour! The next two weeks offer 6 opportunities to hear us interviewed and performing on the radio - some live shows, others taped, most available to hear streaming online.
We have also launched a kickstarter campaign where you can help support us as we travel to:
WQXR in New York on Nov.28 (broadcast on November 30)
Sirius XM in Washington D.C. on November 29 (broadcast date/time TBA)
KUHAM in Houston, TX on December 1 (broadcast date/time TBA)
TPR in San Antonio, TX on December 2 (Live! 1-2pm local time)
WFMT in Chicago, IL on December 5 (LIve! 3-4pm local time)
Wellfleet, MA (Cape Cod) on December 7 (Benefit concert for Outer Cape Health Services)
WGBH in Boston, MA on December 9 (4-5pm "Drive Time")
SF Classical Voice: BluePrint Builds a Castle to Hersant
San Francisco Classical Voice
November 19, 2011
by Be'eri Moalem
Philippe Hersant
Philippe Hersant was possibly the luckiest composer in the world Saturday night. In the season opener of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music’s BluePrint series, the 63-year-old French composer was treated to a two-hour concert of his own music by an all-star lineup of San Francisco’s best string players plus a deft ensemble of their students. read more »
Gramophone: The American Album reviewed in 12/2011 Issue
Click the clip below to read the article on www.exacteditions.com
Gramophone
December 2011
Page IX Sounds of America
Examiner.com: BluePrint’s total immersion in the music of Philippe Hersant
Examiner.comNovember 20, 2011
Stephen Smoliar, SF Classical Music Examiner
Last night’s BluePrint project concert at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music consisted entirely of compositions by the Parisian composer Philippe Hersant, six works in all, three on either side of the intermission. Given how little exposure Hersant has received in the United States, this was a bold move on the part of Artistic Director Nicole Paiement. However, Hersant emerged as a composer with an accessible and engaging style, along with considerable diversity in his stylistic approaches. Thus, as introductions go, one could not have hoped for a better offering. read more »
BLOG: Welcome to the new www.cypressquartet.com!
Welcome!
We have just launched our brand new website - please take a look around, join our e-mailing list with the JOIN button up there near the top of the page, and let us know what you think by emailing csq@cypressquartet.com with any and all comments! Don't be shy.
Our 15th Anniversary Salon Series began with two fantastic nights in Berkeley and San Francisco last weekend, with friends, family, supporters and a slew of other music lovers on hand to hear us perform music from our new CD "The American Album" and to chat with us post-concert during the Wine & Chocolates reception. Special thanks to our guest-moderators for the two evenings, Matías Tarnopolsky in Berkeley and Kai Christiansen in San Francisco, for their eloquent lead in brief post-concert Q&A sessions that gave our audiences a hint of extra insight into our work together as a Quartet for these past 15 years.
Read more about the Salon programs and buy tickets here!.
read more »Examiner.com: The Cypress String Quartet’s ‘American Album’
Examiner.com
11/16/2011
by Stephen Smoliar, Classical Music Examiner
Buy the Album
Last week saw the release by the Cypress String Quartet (violins Cecily Ward and Tom Stone, viola Ethan Filner, and cello Jennifer Kloetzel) of their latest CD on their own label. The recording is entitled The American Album; and it provides three markedly different perspectives on what we might call “American” music from three decidedly different eras of our country’s history. What makes those perspectives interesting, however, is that each of them has its own form of European connection. read more »
Allen Edmonds Embarcadero Event 11/18/11
You're Invited! Join Us November 18th, 5-8 p.m.
We are thrilled that Allen Edmonds shoes has selected the Cypress String Quartet to receive 10% of all sales proceeds at their new Embarcadero Center store from November 18-23. Treat yourself to a new pair of shoes for the holiday season and support the Cypress String Quartet while you shop! Cypress String Quartet members will be in attendance on November 18 from 6-8pm.
SF Chronicle: CD Review – Cypress String Quartet
San Francisco Chronicle
Thursday, November 3, 2011
by Joshua Kosman
Cypress Performing Arts Assoc. 
Thematic programming is a fine thing, but sometimes it's also OK to simply toss coherence out the nearest window. The latest self-produced CD from the Bay Area's stalwart Cypress String Quartet, billed as "The American Album," begins with a fine matched pair of works on American Indian themes. One, naturally, is Dvorák's "American" Quartet, which draws on a range of melodic material the composer assembled during his stay in this country; the other is the lesser-known but evocative "Two Sketches Based on Indian Themes" by Charles Tomlinson Griffes. read more »
NET Radio: American Album is November 2011 Hot Pick
NET Radio
November 2011
Antonin DVORAK: “American” String Quartet No. 12 in F Op. 96; Charles Tomlinson GRIFFES: Two Sketches Based on Indian Themes; Samuel BARBER: String Quartet in b Op. 11
The Cypress String Quartet celebrates 15 years of great music-making in 2011-2012, and this new CD is certainly a gift to music lovers everywhere. Adopting an American 'can-do' spirit, the Cypress has released the album on its own label, and features composers who were inspired by a similar spirit of seeking a new, uniquely American sound for their own succeeding generations. The performances are outstanding - as usual - from these former Meadowlark Music Festival musicians. read more »
The American Album (2011)
Dvorak's beloved "American" Quartet and Barber's String Quartet with its famous Molto adagio central movement share the program with "Two Sketches Based on Indian Themes" by Charles Griffes. A stunning look at the American spirit from 1893-1936. Comes in a brand new shrink-wrapped digipak case including booklet insert with original liner notes written by Marc Geelhoed.SAMPLES / TRACK LISTING
- Dvorak 1 1. Dvorak: String Quartet No.12 in F Major, Op.96 "American" - Allegro ma non troppo 8:58
- Dvorak 2 2. Lento 6:19
- Dvorak 3 3. Molto vivace 3:43
- Dvorak 4 4. Vivace ma non troppo 5:26
- Griffes 1 5. Griffes: Two Sketches Based on Indian Themes - Lento e mesto 6:29
- Griffes 2 6. Allegro giocoso 3:32
- Barber 1 7. Barber: String Quartet in B Minor, Op.11 - Molto allegro e appassionato 7:45
- Barber 2 8. Molto adagio 7:18
- Barber 3 9. Molto allegro (come prima) - Presto 2:14
Reviews
Examiner.com
11/16/2011
by Stephen Smoliar, Classical Music Examiner
Last week saw the release by the Cypress String Quartet (violins Cecily Ward and Tom Stone, viola Ethan Filner, and cello Jennifer Kloetzel) of their latest CD on their own label. The recording is entitled The American Album; and it provides three markedly different perspectives on what we might call “American” music from three decidedly different eras of our country’s history. What makes those perspectives interesting, however, is that each of them has its own form of European connection. Read more...
The 15th Anniversary Album
Claude Debussy: String Quartet in G Minor, Op.10Maurice Ravel: String Quartet in F Major
Ervin Schulhoff: Five Pieces for String Quartet
To commemorate their 15th Anniversary, Cypress String Quartet is releasing a compilation disc of favorite recordings. Celebrate with us!
Purchase this album direct from the artists at cypressquartet.bandcamp.com
SAMPLES / TRACK LISTING
- Debussy 1 1. Debussy String Quartet in G Minor, Op.10 - Anime et tre decide 6:07
- Debussy 2 2. Assez vif et bien rythme 3:45
- Debussy 3 3. Andantino doucement expressif 6:60
- Debussy 4 4. Tres modere 7:15
- Ravel 1 5. Ravel: String Quartet in F Major - Allegro moderato, Tres doux 7:47
- Ravel 2 6. Assez vif, Tres rythme 6:01
- Ravel 3 7. Tres lent 8:16
- Ravel 4 8. Vif et agite 5:25
- Schulhoff 1 9. Schulhoff: Five Pieces for String Quartet - Alla Valse Viennese: Allegro 2:13
- Schulhoff 2 10. Alla Serenata: Allegretto con moto 3:02
- Schulhoff 3 11. Alla Czeca: Molto allegro 1:40
- Schulhoff 4 12. Alla Tango Milonga: Andante 4:01
- Schulhoff 5 13. Alla Tarantella: Prestissimo con fuoco 2:43
Back to Discography
How She Danced: String Quartets of Elena Ruehr
String Quartet #4 (2005) Commissioned by the Cypress String Quartet
String Quartet #3 (2001) Commissioned by the Rockport C.M.S.
String Quartet #1 (1991) Winner, ASCAP Award
The Cypress String Quartet released How She Danced: String Quartets of Elena Ruehr on Tuesday, February 23, 2010. The album includes acclaimed Boston-based composer Elena Ruehr's String Quartets No. 1 (1991), No. 3 (2001), and No. 4 (commissioned by the Cypress Quartet in 2005), and will be available on iTunes, CDBaby.com, Amazon.com, and other major retailers. The disc was produced by Cypress first violinist Cecily Ward and Mark Willsher, and recorded at Skywalker Sound.
Included program notes feature an interview with the artists by Bill McGlaughlin, host of Saint Paul Sunday and Exploring Music.
Purchase this album direct from the artists at cypressquartet.bandcamp.com
SAMPLES / TRACK LISTING
- Ruehr 4-1 1. String Quartet #4 - Sonata: Introduzione; Andante con moto 7:26
- Ruehr 4-2 2. String Quartet #4 - Aria: Andante 7:03
- Ruehr 4-3 3. String Quartet #4 - Minuet: Grazioso 7:56
- Ruehr 4-4 4. String Quartet #4 - Finale: Allegro molto 8:03
- Ruehr 3-1 5. String Quartet #3 - Clay Flute 3:54
- Ruehr 3-2 6. String Quartet #3 - The Abbey 8:55
- Ruehr 3-3 7. String Quartet #3 - How She Danced 4:11
- Ruehr 3-4 8. String Quartet #3 - Bell Call 6:30
- Ruehr 1-1 9. String Quartet #1 - Patterns 7:39
- Ruehr 1-2 10. String Quartet #1 - Interlude 3:35
- Ruehr 1-3 11. String Quartet #1 - Let's Sit Beneath the Stars 5:26
- Ruehr 1-4 12. String Quartet #1 - Estampie 4:09
REVIEWS
For How She Danced: String Quartets of Elena Ruehr
Ruehr's music hovers between a resonant neo-Romanticism and more cerebral contrapuntal techniques, and it's full of rhythm, life and colour, immediately accessible to the listener but rich enough to repay repeated listenings. It's hard to imagine it being given more committed performances than these by the Cypress players.""It's a brave move by the San Francisco-based Cypress Quartet to devote its new disc entirely to a contemporary composer, and a little-known name at that. But the music of Elena Ruehr, raised in Michigan and now teaching at MIT, is so appealing, and the performances by the Cypress players so persuasive, that the project brings rich rewards.Strad Magazine Review (April 2010 by David Kettle)"Here is the fine young Cypress Quartet's cellist Jennifer Kloetzel explaining to Saint Paul Sunday’s Bill McGlaughlin how the San Francisco Quartet's close relationship to 46-year-old MIT composer Elena Ruehr came about: "A few years ago we decided to champion the composers whose music we like—by playing their music a lot and playing a lot of their music. We commission and recommission them and really get into their world, that's become something that's very important to us— Elena's become a real part of our musical lives." Her music is "infectious," says the ensemble's violist, Ethan Filner. You can say that again many times over after hearing the Cypress Quartet's recordings of Ruehr's Quartets Nos. 1, 3 and 4. The result of the quartet's immersion in Ruehr's musical world is one of the most appealing contemporary quartet discs in a very long time. The disc's title, "How She Danced," (Ruehr is a trained dancer as well as musician and composer) comes from the allegro third movement of Ruehr's Third Quartet and, as with so much of this, it sounds like the strongly tonal meeting point of Philip Glass' minimal-ism and the pan-ethnic folk-influenced music of the great early 20th century experimentalist Henry Cowell. In other words, it's where country reels and hoedowns and Hindu ritual and Balinese gamelan all somehow come together with the restless unison ostinatos of what was once "downtown" new music. A beautiful disc. ★★★ 1/2"Buffalo News - Listening Post (March 2010 review by Jeff Simon)As a result, her music, of which we get a good sampling here from String Quartets 1, 3 and 4, written between 1991 and 2005, is both accessible and challenging. We sometimes forget, in analyzing the art of the string quartet, how sensually beautiful the sound of these four strings can be. Ruehr reminds us. Her art consists in large part of long melodies, long intonations and exhalations, gorgeously swelling tones and smartly struck pizzicati. The members of the Cypress Quartet – Cecily Ward and Tom Stone, violins; Ethan Filner, viola; and Jennifer Kloetzel, cello – attest to the challenges they encountered in performing these works in an interview with radio host Bill McGlaughlin, excerpted in the program notes. They speak from experience of the 17-bar melody with a canon in 3 parts, with all four players playing fragments of it here and there, in the slow movement of Quartet No. 3. In this movement, entitled "The Abbey" and taking its inspiration from the style of 12th Century Abbess Hildegard von Bingen, the chant-like melody is supported by a catchy rhythm derived from it. The trick, which the Cypresses bring out with deceptive ease, is to make the music sound as simple and natural as possible.""I was enchanted with this, my first acquaintance with the music of American composer Elena Ruehr, and I think you will be, too. A strong, engaging personality suffuses her music. She was born and spent her early years in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, an area of much natural beauty that is said to have the most beautiful fall colors in America. Her music reflects a variety of traditional and world influences in addition to her formal education under mentors William Bolcom, Milton Babbitt and Vincent Persichetti. The daughter of a mathematician, she admits to a fondness for solving intellectual puzzles such as 12-tone rows, but she decided at an early stage in her career to leave the complicated stuff beneath the surface of what people hear, incorporating it into the musical form (For the record, Mozart did much the same thing).Sequenza21.com Review (Feb 2010 by Phil Muse)
Beethoven: Late String Quartets, Vol. 2
String Quartet in Bb Major, Opus 130
Große Fuge, Opus 133
Purchase this album direct from the artists at cypressquartet.bandcamp.com
SAMPLES / TRACK LISTING
- Beethoven 130-1 1. String Quartet in B-Flat Major, Opus 130: Adagio ma non troppo - Allegro 14:18
- Beethoven 130-2 2. Presto 2:07
- Beethoven 130-3 3. Poco scherzoso: Andante con moto ma non troppo 7:25
- Beethoven 130-4 4. Alla Danza tedesca: Allegro assai 3:57
- Beethoven 130-5 5. Cavatina: Adagio molto espressivo 6:34
- Beethoven 133 6. Original finale (1825): Grosse Fuge: Overtura - Fuga (Opus 133)15:15
- Beethoven 130-6 7. Alternate finale (1826): Finale: Allegro 10:48
REVIEWS
For Beethoven Late Quartets, Volume 2
"In the forest of Beethoven recordings, the Cypress String Quartet's are some of the mightiest trees. Compounding the success of its first installment of late-Beethoven quartets, the San Francisco-based ensemble here considers the great B-Flat Major, Op. 130, offering special insight by including both the original "Grosse Fuge" and the later, alternate finale. The performances are masterly: technically assured and lucidly conversational. After this, one can hardly wait for the third and final release."Grade: A -- Zachary Lewis for the Cleveland Plain Dealer (7/11/2010)"The Cypress' joie de vivre in this music shines through in this movement, courtesy of close miking by engineer Mark Willsher. The Cypress project a feverish but delightful intensity into the mix...A fine album of chamber music, certainly a must for collectors of modern Beethoven surveys."- Gary Lemco for Audiophile AuditionQuartet Opus 130, Grosse Fuge Opus 133 & Alternate Finale Beethoven referred to his Opus 130 Quartet in his conversation books as the "Liebquartett" (Dear Quartet), a fitting title for a quartet that contains some of Beethoven's sweetest and most intimate music. Completed in 1825, the quartet is written in six movements, confounding expectations of music form...
Beethoven: Late String Quartets, Vol. 1
String Quartet in C-sharp Minor, Op. 131 String Quartet in F Major, Op. 135
When people discuss the greatest contributions to the arts in Western civilization, names such as Shakespeare, da Vinci, and Beethoven inevitably arise. Proponents for Beethoven cite his five late quartets, which were the final works that he completed. In this second of three volumes, the Cypress String Quartet continues to bring a fresh voice of humanity and clarity to these monumental works.
Purchase this album direct from the artists at cypressquartet.bandcamp.com
SAMPLES / TRACK LISTING
- Beethoven 131-1 1. Beethoven Quartet in C-Sharp Minor, Op.131 - I. Adagio ma non troppo e molto espressivo 5:44
- Beethoven 131-2 2. Op.131 - II. Allegro molto vivace 3:06
- Beethoven 131-3 3. Op.131 - III. Allegro moderato 0:43
- Beethoven 131-4 4. Op.131 - IV. Andante ma non troppo e molto cantabile-Piu mosso-Andante moderato e lusinghiero-Adagio-Allegretto-Adagio ma non troppo e semplice-Allegretto 14:27
- Beethoven 131-5 5. Op.131 - V. Presto 5:19
- Beethoven 131-6 6. Op.131 - VI. Adagio quasi un poco andante 2:13
- Beethoven 131-7 7. Op.131 - VII. Allegro 6:58
- Beethoven 135-1 8. Beethoven Quartet in F Major, Op.135 - I.Allegretto 6:41
- Beethoven 135-2 9. Op.135 - II. Vivace 3:20
- Beethoven 135-3 10. Op.135 - III. Lento assai, cantante e tranquillo 7:17
- Beethoven 135-4 11. Op.135 - IV. Grave ma non troppo tratto - Allegro 6:56
REVIEWS
For Beethoven Late Quartets, Vol 1
"Another recording of Beethoven String Quartets seems almost unnecessary, but this one by the San Francisco-based Cypress String Quartet doesn't belong on the slush pile. Presenting two late works, the Cypress players converse with such rare sincerity as to make long-familiar music sound utterly fresh. Throw in their technical aplomb and rich, cohesive tone, in which every voice is significant, and you've got a pair of definitive statements. Happily, more are coming; This is merely volume one. Grade: A"- Cleveland Plain Dealer
Benjamin Lees: String Quartets 1, 5 & 6
String Quartet No.1 (1952) String Quartet No.5 (2001) String Quartet No.6 (2005)
The highly personal style of American composer Benjamin Lees lends his music the lofty grandeur and sardonic wit, not only of Shostakovich but also of the Cubist and Surrealist artists, all of whom he so admires. Lees, who also shares Britten’s refined sense of harmony, delights in contrasts and surprises, enthralling the listener at every turn from the lyrical to the burlesque, the romantic to the brusque.
His fifth string quartet was chosen by Chamber Music America as one of its 101 Great Ensemble Works.purchase album on Naxos (CD)
purchase album on Amazon (CD / MP3)
purchase album on iTunes
SAMPLES / TRACK LISTING
- 1. String Quartet No. 1 - Moderato 5:47
- 2. String Quartet No. 1 - Adagietto 6:21
- 3. String Quartet No. 1 - Allegro vivo 4:21
- 4. String Quartet No. 5 - Measured 9:57
- 5. String Quartet No. 5 - Arioso 6:27
- Lees 5-3 6. String Quartet No. 5 - Quick, quiet 1:46
- 7. String Quartet No. 5 - Explosive 7:50
- 8. String Quartet No. 6 - Measured, dolorous 6:50
- 9. String Quartet No. 6 - Calm, steady 5:13
- 10. String Quartet No. 6 - Quiet, eerie 2:30
- 11. String Quartet No. 6 - Unhurried 5:22
Back to Discography
Jennifer Higdon
Piano Trio (2003)
Voices (1993)
Impressions (2003)*
*featuring the Cypress String Quartet
The Cypress String Quartet is featured on this Naxos release of Jennifer Higdon's chamber music with its recording of Impressions which it commissioned in 2003. Jennifer Higdon describes Impressions as "a musical response to the artists of the Impressionist period in both music (Debussy and Ravel) and painting (Monet and Seurat)".
Read more about Jennifer Higdon and the music on this recording here.purchase album on Naxos (CD)
purchase album on Amazon (CD / MP3)
purchase album on iTunes
SAMPLES / TRACK LISTING
- 1. Piano Trio: I. Pale Yellow 7:53
- 2. Piano Trio: II. Fiery Red 5:26
- 3. Voices: I. Blitz 6:18
- 4. Voices: II. Soft Enlacing 6:16
- 5. Voices: III. Grace 5:01
- Higdon 1 6. Impressions: I. Bright Palette 8:39
- 7. Impressions: II. Quiet Art 8:06
- Higdon 3 8. Impressions: III. To the Point 3:34
- 9. Impressions: IV. Noted Canvas 6:23
American Record Guide, June 2007
Jennifer Higdon (b. 1962) teaches at Curtis and appears to have emerged as one of the top composers in the field, though this seems to be only her second major record release. Her big Concerto for Orchestra was recorded by Robert Spano on Telarc and generally well received by Mark Lehman (J/A 2004); it won a Grammy, too. This is her first recorded collection of chamber music, as far as I can tell.
Ms Higdon is somewhat aggressively marketed as an "accessible" composer. Not everything here will necessarily fit that description, but I can't imagine anyone not loving the first movement of the Trio (2003), a truly lovely eight-minute slow movement called, for some reason, 'Pale Yellow'. It is cut from the same American romantic cloth as Aaron Jay Kernis's Air-lyrical, sensitive, and even sublime. The fast, more dissonant toccata that follows ('Fiery Red') is playful enough not to offend the sensitive too badly. These are two apparently unrelated movements (or pieces), and the net effect is therefore not as impressive as it should have been. This was unfortunately recorded in concert at a music festival in Vail: sound is not very appealing.
The earlier Voices (1993) is a more "experimental" string quartet in three continuous "images". The first, 'Blitz', is a cartoon-musiclike exercise in clusters and frenetic, parallel dissonance. II, 'Soft Enlacing', works with Ivesian overlay of vibrating tremolandos, hysterical melody, and glassy harmonics. The finale, 'Grace', opens with plaintive recitative-maybe a precursor to the Trio's first movement-and then leads to more impassioned declamation before its symmetrical return to the opening prayer. The overall effect seems more tentative than both later works on the program.
Impressions (2003), also for quartet, is named for the Impressionist movement and its practitioners in painting and music. Ms Higdon is aiming more for commentary on the Ravel and Debussy quartets than outright quotation. The effect is a lengthy, thoughtful homage. One is, of course, forced to think of the originals, which are pretty good and do not suffer by comparison. I ('Bright Palette') proceeds in regular block harmonies, more insistently square than you'll find in the composer's more fluid French models. II ('Quiet Art') has bits of harmonic parallelism and drifts along in aimless blocks of endless melody. III (To The Point') aims for the Ravel scherzo with its opening pizzicato, but its repeating two-bar figures resemble a passacaglia, though the composer says she was going for a Gamelan reference (following Debussy). IV ('Noted Canvas') is cyclical and ends with what amounts to a hoedown.
This is a well-crafted piece of chamber music; it might be of value at summer music festivals in programs with the originals, but I'm afraid it has limited value in itself. Naxos is marketing this with their growing catalog of women composers (Gloria Coates, Joan Tower, Margaret Brouwer, and Marion Bauer are listed at the end of the booklet).
Jay Cloidt: Spectral Evidence
eleven windows
Spectral Evidence
Jay Cloidt's latest CD features the premiere studio recordings of two ambitious and diverse works for string quartet, Spectral Evidence and eleven windows, performed by the Cypress String Quartet. Spectral Evidence begins with a straightforward performance of the first two minutes of a Mozart quartet. At first subtly then radically, the piece is broken down into parts and reassembled into a series of ten new movements. Meticulously recorded at George Lucas's Skywalker Ranch, the music is solely based on the deconstruction and reconstruction of the melodic materials found in the original opening section.
The San Francisco Chronicle wrote, "Jay Cloidt's exceptional score, a Mozart string quartet and its subtle deconstruction and transformation into something ominous, tracks the choreography every step of the way... the Cypress String Quartet... performs Cloidt's score masterfully."
Read more about Jay Cloidt and the music on this recording here.purchase album on CD Baby
purchase album on Amazon
purchase album on CD Universe
SAMPLES / TRACK LISTING
- 1. eleven windows: Door 2:02
- 2. eleven windows: Falling 1:31
- 3. eleven windows: Ascending 0:50
- 4. eleven windows: Brazali 2:10
- 5. eleven windows: Gehenna 2:07
- 6. eleven windows: Fast & Furious 0:44
- 7. eleven windows: Canon Avenue 1:53
- 8. eleven windows: Flick 1:16
- 9. eleven windows: No Sound 1:19
- 10. eleven windows: Infinite 1:31
- 11. eleven windows: Kk 0:54
- 12. Spectral Evidence: I 1:58
- 13. Spectral Evidence: II 2:17
- Spectral 3 14. Spectral Evidence: III 3:51
- 15. Spectral Evidence: IV 2:42
- 16. Spectral Evidence: V 3:36
- 17. Spectral Evidence: VI 3:16
- 18. Spectral Evidence: VII 3:13
- 19. Spectral Evidence: VIII 1:40
- 20. Spectral Evidence: VIIII 3:34
- 21. Spectral Evidence: X 2:04
Back to Discography
Daniel Asia: Trilogy
Woodwind Quintet
String Quartet No.2* (1985) featuring the Cypress String Quartet
Brass Quintet
Daniel Asia (b. 1953) is a leading member of that talented post-World War II generation of American composers that includes Danielpour, Kernis, Schwantner, and Tower—among many others—who helped turn the tide of stylistic syntax away from the predominant serialist academicism of the 60s and 70s. The Second String Quartet of 1985 shows us Asia writing the kind of freely modified 12-note music one would expect from a pupil of Druckman and Schuller. But already one can sense in this serious and ambitious almost half-hour work an underlying urge to break free of the confines of ideological allegiances, as the movement headings "Cantabile; free and flowing—crisp and energetic" and "Majestic—dancing–majestic" would indicate. This score exhibits the same distinctive traits that would characterize his later and more tonally oriented works: a natural and unfettered thematic fertility coupled with a noticeable economy of content and coherence of form. All three ensembles provide beautifully judged and dynamically shaped readings with a top-drawer acoustic from Summit. All in all, this turns out to be one of the premier releases of American chamber music of 2004.
Read more about Daniel Asia and the music on this recording here.purchase album on Amazon
purchase album on iTunes
SAMPLES / TRACK LISTING
- 1. Woodwind Quintet - I. Lively 2:15
- 2. Woodwind Quintet - II. Moderately 2:34
- 3. Woodwind Quintet - III. Fiery 2:03
- 4. Woodwind Quintet - IV. Ruminative 3:43
- 5. Woodwind Quintet - V. Impetous, darting 1:55
- 6. Woodwind Quintet - VI. Fast And mercurial 1:50
- 7. String Quartet No. 2 - I. Cantabile; free and flowing-crisp & energetic - presto 9:25
- 8. String Quartet No. 2 - II. Moderato - free - moderato 7:01
- 9. String Quartet No. 2 - III. Majestic - Dancing - majestic 6:30
- Asia 2-4 10. String Quartet No. 2 - IV. Presto possible 3:36
- 11. Brass Quintet - I. Moderato 5:55
- 12. Brass Quintet - II. Tranquil and elegiac 7:40
- 13. Brass Quintet - III. Fast and lively 4:25
Back to Discography
Debussy, Suk & Cotton
Claude Debussy: String Quartet in G Minor, Op. 10
Josef Suk: Barcarolle & Ballade
Jeffery Cotton: String Quartet No. 1
The music featured on this disk represents the varied interests of the Cypress String Quartet; a "masterpiece", an overlooked "jewel", and a Cypress-commissioned quartet. The Debussy Quartet, written in 1893 in Paris, began a revolution in string writing that ushered in the 20th Century. Composed just a few years earlier but worlds away in Prague, the Suk pieces represent the end of the romantic period. The Jeffery Cotton Quartet, composed for the Cypress in 2003, looks back with respectful fascination at the string quartet tradition and leads us on an inspiring journey that ends in the heart of German Cabaret of the 1920's.
Purchase this album direct from the artists at cypressquartet.bandcamp.com
SAMPLES / TRACK LISTING
- Debussy 1 1. Claude Debussy Quartet in G Minor, Op.10 - I. Animé et trè décidé 6:06
- Debussy 2 2. Debussy - II. Assez vif et bien rhythmé 3:44
- Debussy 3 3. Debussy - III. Andatino doucement expressif 6:59
- Debussy 4 4. Debussy - IV. Très modéré 7:13
- Suk 1 5. Josef Suk Barcarolle & Ballade - I. Barcarolle 2:11
- 6. Josef Suk Barcarolle & Ballade - II. Ballade 3:49
- 7. Jeffery Cotton String Quartet No.1 - I. Overture 8:55
- Cotton 2 8. Cotton - II. Capriccio 3:25
- 9. Cotton - III. Chorale and Cabaret 10:49
- 10. Cotton - IV. Variations 8:18
REVIEWS
For Debussy, Suk & Cotton
"Say what you want about a crisis in classical music - the Cypress Quartet is not listening. This new recording of works by Debussy, Suk and Cotton is full of an overwhelming joy and enthusiasm for the cause. With an exceptional level of technical skill and thoroughly convincing interpretations they have created a beautiful addition to the catalogue. The unusual pairing of repertoire is consistent with their mission of celebrating the new and less known with the same level of commitment they bring to the 'standard' repertoire. The recorded sound is beautiful. Mark Willsher has captured a true and natural quartet sound, and there is a real intimacy to the overall effect of the recording. Bravo."- Barry Shiffman, Director of Music Program, The Banff Centre
Haydn, Ravel & Schulhoff
Franz Joseph Haydn: String Quartet in D Major, Op. 76 No. 5
Maurice Ravel: String Quartet in F Major
Ervin Schulhoff: Five Pieces for String Quartet
Buy this album direct from the artists (digital download only) at cypressquartet.bandcamp.com
SAMPLES / TRACK LISTING
- Haydn 1 1. Franz Joseph Haydn Quartet in D Major, Op.76 No.5 - I. Allegretto - Allegro 4:45
- 2. Haydn - II. Largo ma non troppo; cantabile e mesto 7:33
- 3. Haydn - III. Menuetto: Allegro ma non troppo 3:00
- Haydn 4 4. Haydn - IV. Finale: Presto 3:47
- Ravel 1 5. Ravel: String Quartet in F Major - Allegro moderato, Tres doux 7:47
- Ravel 2 6. Assez vif, Tres rythme 6:01
- Ravel 3 7. Tres lent 8:16
- Ravel 4 8. Vif et agite 5:25
- Schulhoff 1 9. Schulhoff: Five Pieces for String Quartet - Alla Valse Viennese: Allegro 2:13
- Schulhoff 2 10. Alla Serenata: Allegretto con moto 3:02
- Schulhoff 3 11. Alla Czeca: Molto allegro 1:40
- Schulhoff 4 12. Alla Tango Milonga: Andante 4:01
- Schulhoff 5 13. Alla Tarantella: Prestissimo con fuoco 2:43
REVIEWS
For Haydn, Ravel & Schulhoff
"Ahhh.. they have done it again and brought us another exquisite album of string quartets. Based in San Francisco, the Cypress String Quartet bestows upon us this elegant and electric album with pure artistry that exudes ease, passion and integrity. They float along the sweet and delicate melodies of Haydn, the ghostly and poignant harmonic colors of Ravel and the exotic, energetic flair of Ervin Schulhoff with the same unwavering conviction and dedication. Bravo!"
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Brilliant, austere, incisive.The Sacramento Bee
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The performers, like the music, were on fire...San Francisco Classical Voice
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Animated and soulful...San Francisco Classical Voice
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Beautifully proportioned and powerful.The Washington Post